TUGUEGARAO CITY: The provincial government of Cagayan has called on tourism stakeholders to give their best to help boost the local industry.

“The governor cannot do it alone. We all need to work together,” said Mabel VillaricaMamba, who spoke on behalf of Gov. Manuel Mamba, during the Pagtipan (Pride and Gratitude for Tourism Industry Partners, Advocates and Nurturers of Cagayan) Convergence 2023 on Thursday, November 16, at the Cagayan Coliseum here.

The event marked the gathering of tourism stakeholders in the province which included local government units with their mayors, various government agencies, tourism officers, tour guides, vendors associations, academe, and other associations and organizations in the field of tourism.

About 200 tourism students from the University of Cagayan Valley, International School of Asia and the Pacific, University of St. Louis Tuguegarao, St. Paul University Philippines, F.L Vargas College and Cagayan State University attended the event.

Villarica-Mamba cited the value of good governance in the tourism industry.

She exemplified what Mamba started when he first sat as the governor of the province in 2016 where tourism was one of his first priorities.

She also encouraged the youth to be part of the Cagayan Provincial Government’s programs in the field of tourism.

During the event, the tourism programs and projects of the province were cited, as well as the achievements of the administration in the field of tourism such as beautification of the province’s major tourist destinations, infrastructure support, communitybased trainings, promotions and marketing, and many others.

After the program, the Cagayan Museum’s Cagayan Heritage Popup Exhibit was opened where some important collections of the Cagayan Museum were displayed at the Historical Research Center.

Meanwhile, the center of the gathering was the recognition of the Pagtipan awardees led by Governor Mamba and Regional Tourism Director Alexander Miano.

The purpose of the awarding was to recognize the people and organizations who have participated in the promotion of tourism in Cagayan.

“Tourism is all about people, more than anything else. All of us are stakeholders in the tourism industry. It is the biggest industry in the world and all of us are part of this industry,” Governor Mamba said.

“The collaboration, the convergence we do, and how we would connect to our neighbors and the world, this is tourism,” the governor added.

He said that cooperation is important so that “not only our tourism grows, but also, we can better achieve the desired connection with other countries.”

The Rosal Awards 2024 was also launched to recognize outstanding stakeholders who have contributed greatly to the development of tourism in Cagayan.

They will be recognized in different categories: institutional, individual, creative, special awards, and governor’s awards. The recognition will be held next year.