LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte (PIA) – The City Tourism Office of Laoag is looking into the preservation of existing historical sites as well as developing new potential tourist sites and cuisines unique to the city to increase tourism opportunities.
 
City tourism officer Angel Lao said starting March, they will conduct a cultural mapping to determine sites they will preserve and discover new locations with potential to be tourist sites so they can develop the area.
 
“Ang Laoag City, mayaman sa culture, history, (and) gastronomy kaya we want this to be the highlight of our tourism industry. Malawak ang Laoag City, kaya we’re sure na mayroon pang mga hidden gems na pwedeng i-develop for tourism,” Lao said.
 
The cultural mapping will also include the food industry of the city.
 
“Hahanap tayo ng mga either old or new recipes sa mga barangays sa Laoag na pwede i-market sa mga local and foreign tourists, with respect and proper credit of course from the barangay (which) the cuisines originated from,” she said.

Lao said that the mentioned activities are their first efforts to realize this goal.
 
“Mahirap, I have to admit, pero I trust na we can do it because there are still so many things to discover in Laoag whether this be new or old tourist attractions and cuisines,” she added. (JCR/AMB/EJFG, PIA Ilocos Norte)