The Provincial Tourism Council (PTC) 1st Quarter Meeting was held on February 19, 2026, in the Ituy Function Room of the Executive Building, Capitol Compound, Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya. Council Chair Ruth R. Padilla, alongside Hon. Eunice Galima-Gambol, Committee on Tourism Chair, and Provincial Tourism and Culture Officer Marichelle O. Costales presided over the meeting, which was attended by representatives from the member organizations.
The member organizations include higher-education institutions such as Saint Mary’s University and Nueva Vizcaya State University; tourism organizations such as the Nueva Vizcaya Hotel, Restaurant, and Resort Owners Association (NVHRROA), the Fun Farm Tourism Stakeholders Association, the Nueva Vizcaya Mountaineering Society, Inc., and the Nueva Vizcaya Tour Guides Association; and local branches of agencies such as the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Philippine Veteran Affairs Office (PVAO), the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), and the Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO), the Public Affairs and Information Assistance Division of the Governor’s Office (GO-PAIAD), among others.
The Provincial Tourism and Culture Office (PTCO) presented on the tourism statistics of the province in 2025, noting a 9% increase in tourist arrivals and a 6% increase in same-day visitor arrivals in the last year as compared to 2024. They also detailed the common nationalities of foreign visitors, noting that the top markets appeared to be from the United States of America, Korea, Australia, India, and China. Ambaguio’s Skyscape 360 remains the most visited tourist attraction in the province. The PTCO also noted the establishments and municipalities most compliant in record submission to their office. A motion was passed and approved to honor these municipalities and tourism establishments during the Grand Ammungan Festival 2026.
Ms. Costales reported on the revised guidelines for the Tourism Road Infrastructure Project Prioritization Criteria. The presentation led to a discussion on the increased need for paved roads to the province’s tourist destinations, a perennial issue due to the province’s mountainous terrain. Chairperson Padilla acknowledged the difficulty of attaining approval for such projects and pledged practical support for any future activities.
PVAO gave a comprehensive presentation on the Balete Pass Shrine in Sta. Fe, a historic site deemed a National Shrine in 2021 due to its significance in the recent eras of colonization in the country. Current construction efforts to beautify the site are incomplete, with further construction efforts planned to continue through the year. Through the efforts of PVAO, however, the Balete Shrine has welcomed more than 2000 visitors since its reopening in 2025, the majority of whom are students, and was even named Best Shrine by the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office in the same year.
The NVHRROA and Fun Farm Tourism Stakeholders Associations also provided updates on their progress – the former with their organization and role-defining, and the latter with their participation in the Ayala Bazaar and hopes to expand the nascent Farm Tourism Festival, first held in December 2025. Both organizations secured the support of the PTC in their efforts of expansion and growth.
The Provincial Tourism Council sustains its responsibilities for tourism in the province, engaging not only provincial and national agencies but also private organizations in decision-making and industry-building. Under the purview of these governing bodies, Nueva Vizcaya’s tourism industry will flourish not only for the natives, but for the incoming tourists. /igmb
[This article was first created on Facebook – Provincial Government of Nueva Vizcaya. For PGNV updates, visit: https://www.facebook.com/vizcayareporter]
