CALABARZON'S BEST. The Kamay ni Hesus Shrine in Lucban, Quezon in this undated photo. The religious site emerged as Calabarzon Region's top-ranked tourist destination, drawing almost 24 million tourists in 2023. (Contributed photo)
CALAMBA CITY, Laguna – Faith-based tourism emerged as the dominant force among the top destinations in Calabarzon, a Department of Tourism (DOT) official in the region said on Tuesday.
During the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas forum at the Technopark Hotel in Santa Rosa City, DOT-4A Director Marites Castro disclosed the 2023 rankings among the tourist sites in Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon provinces.
The top three destinations in the region last year were: the Kamay ni Jesus Healing Church in Lucban, Quezon, No. 1 with an impressive 23,620,780 tourist arrivals; followed by Kinabuhayan Pwesto Complex in Dolores town's Mt. Banahaw, also in Quezon province, 21,716,731 visitors; and Antipolo Cathedral/Museum in Rizal province, with 18,446,994 tourists.
Other significant faith-based destinations included the National Shrine of Saint Padre Pio in Sto. Tomas, Batangas, 4,153,558 visitors; and the Shrine of Jesus in the Holy Sepulchre in San Pedro City, Laguna, 1,821,549 arrivals.
Meanwhile, other top tourist drawers in the region were the Paraiso sa Guis-Guis Beach Resort in Sariaya, Quezon, which attracted 2,601,987 visitors; Taytay Tiangge in Rizal, which welcomed 2,004,800; and parks and amusement destinations, including Enchanted Kingdom in Santa Rosa City; Sky Ranch and Picnic Grove in Tagaytay City, Cavite.
Castro highlighted the overall growth in tourist arrivals compared to 2022, with a notable 56.18 percent increase in overnight stays (9,505,849 tourists) and a 101.34 percent surge in same-day arrivals, totaling 11,251,404 tourists.
Foreign tourist arrivals also saw a rise, with a 10.36 percent increase in overnight visitors and a remarkable 333.29 percent increase in same-day visitors.
Japan emerged as the top foreign market, followed by China, United Staes, Korea and Indonesia.
Castro attributed much of the domestic tourism to visitors from Metro Manila -- 65 percent of total domestic arrivals.
“There is an increase of tourist arrivals after the pandemic period because of the so called revenge travel,” she said, explaining that the people wanted to go out after the lockdown period.
“The road networks also in the Calabarzon make it easier and faster for people to travel,” Castro added. (PNA)
