Nestled amid mountains and trees and being blessed with natural attractions and beautiful landscapes are not enough to merit a place as a tourist attraction.

For the people of Ifugao province, the culture of unity and cooperation are what made their place an attraction in itself.

Three villages in the municipality of Aguinaldo, grouped as the Sustainable Tourism villages of Damag, Jacmal, and Bunhian, bagged the first place in the Department of Tourism’s search for Best Tourism Village in the Cordillera.

The group won PHP1 million cash prize during DOT’s regional nominees’ recognition and Best Tourism Village awarding event in this city last Sept. 20.

“We are very thankful that through the collective effort of the community, we were able to win the first prize in the search for the Best Tourism Village in the Cordillera. It is basically the people themselves – – we have a unique culture. The three barangays have the commonality in the culture and out of it, we placed that in the spotlight, which gave us the prize,” said James Frederick Dulnuan, Aguinaldo Sangguniang Bayan secretary, at the sidelines of the event.

The search is an annual event conceptualized by the DOT- Cordillera to encourage communities to manage their tourism destinations and attractions based on their culture and to make activities sustainable for the locals.

The search will be adopted by the DOT central office.

Dulnuan said a visit in the three villages’ tourist attractions highlights the cultural uniqueness, identity, and their solid waste management program.

“We place so much consolidation in the solid waste management and cooperation of people to be one,” he said.

According to the DOT’s write-up about the group, “The sustainable tourism village showcases the rich cultural heritage of the indigenous Ifugao people, enhanced by strong community participation and support from barangay officials and local government units. Visitors can immerse themselves in vibrant local festivals and traditional crafts while the area’s stunning natural landscapes provide ample opportunities for eco-tourism and outdoor adventures. A clear and coherent blueprint for tourism development and environmental preservation will further promote the sustainable tourism villages as a premier tourism destination for travellers seeking authentic experiences in a hidden gem of history, culture and nature.”

DOT- Cordillera director Jovita Ganongan said the Best Tourism Village challenge was conceptualized to encourage the villagers capitalize on their assets as cultural citizens and indigenous peoples blessed with nature’s beauty.

“We want to help the people make their destinations and activities sustainable. We also want them to be the one to do it based on their needs, their practices and their desires. And we want them to own the activity by making them active participants, while we judge them based on what they do, aside from the potential of the place,” she said.

Now on its third year, the search had 19 contenders that were later trimmed to 12 and down to six.

Bagging second place and receiving PHP500,000 cash prize was Shilan Community tourism village in La Trinidad, Benguet; while in third place is Tawang Tourism village-Liyang Sanctuary in Balbalan, Kalinga.

The runner ups that received PHP100,000 each were Bantay Tourism Village in Tabuk City, Kalinga; Battad village-heritage site in Banaue, Ifugao; and Barlig Poblacion tourism village in Barlig, Mountain Province.

“We are happy with how the award is turning out — a sought after recognition because it does not just talk about the village, the food, activities, and destinations but more importantly the people and the culture,” Ganongan added. (PNA)