To lure more tourists visiting the La Milagrosa Cove in Badoc, Ilocos Norte, the Ilocos Norte Tourism Office (INTO) on Wednesday bared plans to relocate its first inflatable playground there since it is not currently being used at the Paoay Lake Water Park.

Namnama Bumanglag, a representative of the INTO, said the inflatable playground in Paoay is temporarily closed due to the water level of the lake.

“The inflatable island is being considered to be relocated to Badoc because it has a natural barrier and it is fit for swimming,” she said during the hearing for the proposed 2024 budget of the provincial government offices on Wednesday.

In 2022, the Ilocos Norte government introduced the 4,200 square-meter inflatable island with slides, towers, bridges, human launchers, and swings, among others, at the Paoay Lake Water Park to boost domestic tourism.

Now that the local tourism industry is bouncing back into the new normal, the Ilocos Norte government plans to develop more attractions and improve existing ones.

Among these key attractions include the La Milagrosa Cove in Badoc, the Paseo de Paoay, Malacanang of the North, and the Paoay sand dunes, which were allocated multi-million budgets for next year.

“By developing these key tourism areas, we hope to further increase our tourism arrivals next year,” Bumanglag said.

Provincial government records on tourism arrivals showed a significant increase from 800,000 in 2021 to almost three million in 2022.

The province also garnered an estimated PHP8.8 billion in tourism receipts in 2022, which accelerated the recovery of the tourism industry — a major economic powerhouse as it employs thousands, including those in the informal sectors. (PNA)