BASCO—Batanes may be the country’s least populated and smallest province but its natural resources, rich history and culture could rival wonders offered by more established tourist destinations in the Philippines.

Tourists visiting the islands will be reminded of Scotland once they see the massive cliffs and of New Zealand upon seeing the gentle rolling terrain of green pastures and the fields bounded by hedge rows. These can be found in Batan, the province’s main island and where the capital Basco is located.

In Sabtang Island, a 30-minute boat ride from Basco, the famous cobblestone houses--with walls made of  approximately 1-meter thick stones—that  withstand earthquakes and typhoons that battered the province can be found in the villages of Chavayan and Savidug. The white sand beach of Nakabuang, which is famous for its rock formations, is also in this island.

The archeological site of the oldest settlement in the province, meanwhile, can be found in Torongan Cave in the island of Itbayat, a three-hour boat ride from the capital. Various burial sites and old churches can also be found all throughout the province.

Batanes is also a candidate in the World Heritage Site list by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

With all these natural and man-made wonders, the province hopes that its tourism sector would become its major source of income in the coming years. Batanes governor Telesforo Castillejos said that at present income from tourism is marginal but they expect it to contribute more revenue to the province’s coffers in the future.

“Eco-cultural tourism will be the major industry that will propel the economy of Batanes,” Castillejos said.

Peak season

Tourist arrivals in Batanes reached 5,000 in 2007, said acting provincial tourism officer Robert Bastillo. The figure, he said, is expected to double this year and since the latest tourist arrival data showed that a total of 8,000 have arrived.

Peak season is during the months of November and December and during the Holy Week.

Tess Valiente, general manager of Batanes Grand Holidays Travel and Tours, said that occupancy rate during these months reaches 100 percent. “People who want to go to Batanes during these months should make their reservations four months earlier.”

Occupancy rate, meanwhile, during rainy season reaches only to 50 percent but Valiente said it has been increasing by 10 percent due to the promos of some airline companies.

Castillejos said that during the past years tourist arrivals reached 3,000 annually.

Valiente, who also manages the lodging house Pension Ivatan, added a tourist needs to spend from P5, 000-P6, 000 for a 3-day 2-night package and from P6,500-P7,500 for a 4-day 3 night stay. The amount covers food, accommodation, a tour of Batan and Sabtang islands, transportation and payment for the tourist guide.

A one-way airplane ticker to Basco, however, usually costs a little more than P6,000.  NEDA’s Rimando sees this as a possible threat that can undermine the growth of the tourism industry.

Challenges for the tourism industry

To maximize the tourism potential, improvements in transportation and lodgings are needed. At present, the airport in Basco can only accommodate small planes due to the small runway. “It can only accommodate airplanes which are designed for short take-off and touchdown,” said Castillejos.

The limitation of the airports, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) director for Region II Milagros Rimando said, has prevented the entry of bigger planes and the increase of the number of flights in the province.

The difficulty of traveling from one island to another can also hamper the growth of the industry. Most tourists who visit Basco go to the nearby Sabtang Island. However, Sabtang Mayor Max Babalo said during rainy season tourists cannot go to his town because of strong waves and wind. Babalo said a small airport facility should be built in Sabtang to make it more accessible to tourists.

More lodging facilities are also needed by the province to accommodate the influx of tourists during peak season. Bastillo said that while the inns and pension houses can still accommodate the visitors, there is a need to develop more lodging facilities due to the continuous increase of tourist arrivals.

In Sabtang, a school building and a heritage building, which used to be the headquarters of the Japanese Imperial Army during World War, are being used to accommodate some of the province’s guests.

Meanwhile, owners of lodging facilities have to deal with an unstable supply of food for their visitors. Batanes is a protected area and commercial fishing is not allowed. Owners of inns, said Valiente, have to import chicken, meat and vegetables from Manila and Tuguegarao since most farmers in the produces for their own consumption.

“If they have excess product, that’s the only time they will sell them to us,” Valiente said.

Charles Ibañes, executive director of the Batanes Heritage Center, said that the local government should also address the need for a reliable supply of potable water in the province. He said the facilities for water distribution are usually damaged due to the prevalence of natural disasters. He added that there is also a growing concern that the influx of tourists would create problems in solid waste management.

Preserving Batanes

Bastillo said Batanes can accommodate as many as 20,000 tourists a year but he said that they want to limit their visitors because influx of tourists could “dilute their culture and values and would cause traffic.”

In a recent meeting with Manila-based reporters, Governor Castillejos said that they intend to start limiting the number of visitors in the next three to five years.

Apart from controlling the entry of tourists, local government officials are also looking at preserving the unique character of some of the barangays where most stone houses are located. Sabtang’s Babalo said that the municipal government is set to pass an ordinance that would encourage residents of the villages of Chavayan and Savidug to preserve their stone houses and to build lodging facilities patterned after the architecture of these cobblestone homes.

“That’s the main reason why tourists come here,” Babalo told abs-cbnNews.com/ Newsbreak.

Bastillo said one of their strategies is to build community-based accommodations by transforming the entire community into a reception area and making every municipal tourism office as the front desk. He added that they are doing this by preserving stone houses and using them as inns for tourists instead of luring investors to build hotels in the province.

“Hotels are not culturally compatible with the landscape of Batanes, which is a protected area,” Bastillo told abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak.

Residents and local officials of Batanes had previously protested against the entry of investors who want to pour in big investments for tourism facilties. NEDA’s Rimando told us that the Ivatans opposed the plans of some Taiwanese investors to build a casino and hotel in the province. “They [the Ivatans] want to preserve what is Batanes now—laidback and simple.”

Some residents, Rimando added, used to oppose even the construction of shelter ports because it would encourage more tourists and they were afraid their volume will be harmful to the environment and culture.

Simple life

Tourists, said Bastillo, should not look for modern amenities in the province. Valiente agreed and said that tourists should not expect too much when they go to Batanes. She said what the Ivatans want them to see is their simple way of living and their well-preserved culture and sceneries.

“What we are selling are our fresh air, panoramic views and these are what we are protecting,” Valiente said. (abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak)

This is the last in a three-part series on Batanes. The author's trip to the province was sponsored by NEDA.

---

INTERACT WITH THIS ARTICLE