BAGUIO CITY — The Department of Tourism (DoT) launched the 2nd North Luzon Travel Expo (NLTE) here over the weekend in a bid to ensure the further recovery of the tourism industry in Regions 1, 2, 3 and the Cordilleras.

The NLTE’s kick-off event was held last Saturday at the Grand Sierra Pines Hotel, North Outlook Drive, here, as the DoT-Cordillera is hosting this year’s event with main feature activities lined up for November 25-27 Tourism and Travel Fair at the CAP Convention Center of Camp John Hay.

There will be a musical show featuring local artists of the four regions; an Art in the Park event at Reflection Pool of Wright Park, Baguio City; and a Business to Business Networking activity at La Fayette Hotel, Baguio City.

There will also be product presentations at the CAP Convention Center; a Familiarization Tour (North Luzon Interregional Circuit) that will be a post tour of key destinations in Baguio City and Benguet in the Cordillera; and Naguillan, San Fernando City, Bauang, San Juan and Luna in La Union in Region 1.

On Nov. 26, the “Hibla ng Lahing Pilipino Fashion Parade” will be staged at the Manor Garden, Camp John Hay featuring regal fabrics from North Luzon. This is in recognition of the weavers of indigenous Filipino textiles.

DoT-Cordillera Regional Director Jovita A. Ganongan said the intention of the NLTE “is to create a synergy to develop a robust tourism value chain by converging existing and new domestic tourism products, destinations, and services of the North Luzon regions to the local and international markets. She also said this is also to further strengthen the relationship of the North Luzon regions with their tourism stakeholders.”

Enrique Esguerra of the Alliance of Travel and Tours Management in the Cordilleras (ATTIC) stressed that the activity especially the showcasing of attractions of each regions is never a competition but more of a collaborative effort to promote tourism. — Artemio A. Dumlao

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