Too many visitors? Sagada's Sumaguing closed Thursday

The Sumaguing Cave in Sagada, Mountain Province was closed on Thursday to prevent the cave from taking in more tourists than it could handle.

Tracey Santiago, a trustee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites Board, said the local government allowed only 300 tourists inside the cave at any one time.

“I was at the Tourist Information Center at 4 p.m. today (Thursday) and they were already informing tourists that they already temporarily closed Sumaguing because based on their registration, they already counted 3,000 tourists going inside since yesterday,” Sangiago told GMA News Online.

The Sumaguing Cave is touted by the Department of Tourism as one of the must-see destinations in Sagada. It boasts of unique limestone formations.

She said that based on the figures, the cave might have had at least 1,500 visitors per day.

Santiago said the local government was addressing the supposed congestion at the Sumaguing Cave  by offering alternatives to tourists.

“To try to resolve the congestion of Sumaguing, they opened another cave for the tourists," Santiago said.

GMA News Online sought a comment from a member of the Sagada municipal council but has yet to receive a reply as of posting time. -NB/KBK, GMA News