Visitors to ‘postcard-perfect’ Batanes tripled in 2014 – DOT

It is every Filipino wanderer's dream to set foot on Batanes, the windswept province at the northernmost tip of the Philippines that promises breathtaking landscapes. Because of its location, it used to be next to impossible to reach the province. No longer, the Department of Tourism said.

The DOT reported that due to improved communication and transportation in and to the province, the number of tourists who traveled to Batanes tripled in 2014 to 15,800 from an estimated 5,000 in 2013, a report on "Saksi" said on Wednesday.



"Ang isang tulong din ay nabuksan ang ating connectivity... May mga airlines na po na lumilipad to Batanes from Manila on a daily basis so magandang tulong 'yun at napadami ang bisita doon," said DOT Asec. Art Boncato.

"Batanes is so unique. One, it is at the tip of the Philippines. Its topography is quite unique compared to the other destinations. The views are just fantastic," he added.

The report also noted that a one-way ticket to Batanes has gone down to about P2,000 from P20,000.

The DOT urges new visitors to Batanes to keep the islands asa pristine a they found them.

"'Wag nating kalimutan na 'wag tayong magtatapon ng basura. 'Wag nating sirain ang natural sights and attractions dahil dapat mapanatili natin 'yan, hindi lang para sa atin, para na sa susunod na rin na henerasyon," said Boncato.

Must-visit sites

Some places in the remote islands are already becoming known as tourist attractions.

Alapad Hills—which first caught the attention of the rest of the Philippines in the 90s film "Hihintayin Kita sa Langit," an adaptation of Emily Brontë's "Wuthering Heights" that starred Richard Gomez and Dawn Zulueta—is known for rock formations hewn by storms over millennia, and an unobstructed view of the sea from the top of its cliffs.

At Tiñan Point, considered Sabtang Island's most scenic destination, the rock formations and hills lead down to a cove that also has a panoramic view of the horizon.

Another tourist attraction any wanderer in Batanes should visit is the Honesty Coffee Shop beside the Port of Ivana. There's nothing really spectacular about it, but it operates on one thing: trust.

The shop is always open, unmanned. Instead, it provides a price list of its goods and trusts that its customers would pay the amount that is due into designated drop boxes. It may not be the best business model, but it only highlights the Ivatan soul that outsiders may still be trying to grasp. — Trisha Macas/BM, GMA News