TOURISM at the Baguio-La Trinidad-Itogon-Sablan-Tuba and Tublay (Blistt) areas is being synchronized.
The Blistt governing council is headed by Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong with board of advisers Mayors Romeo Salda (La Trinidad), Victorio Palangdan (Itogon), Manuel Munar Jr. (Sablan), Clarita Salongan (Tuba) and Armando Lauro (Tublay).
Magalong welcomed the efforts of tourism officers and private stakeholders in pushing for inter-tourism visits.
"Initiatives like this certainly augur well in speeding tourism revival in our communities from which affected sectors can draw recovery of jobs, livelihood, and businesses reliant on tourism," he said.
The newly formed Blistt Tourism Council is tasked to frame the tourism programs in the areas through their respective tourism bodies.
Gladys Vergara De Vera, chair of the Baguio Tourism Council, was elected interim head of the tourism body, while Enrique Esguerra was chosen as vice chairman; Lucia Catanes as treasurer; lawyer Richard Stone Pooten as auditor; OIC regional director of Department of Tourism (DOT)-Cordillera Jovi Ganongan, secretariat head; tourism officers Engr. Aloysius Mapalo, Valred Olsim, Nestor Camado Jr., Daisybel Acosta, Anabel Solano, and Engr. Freddie Laron, secretariat members.
Vergara De Vera said she aims to promote the Blistt areas to help economies to recuperate losses due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Elected to the Blistt Tourism Council board of directors are BTC vice chair Anthony de Leon, and the regional agency heads of the National Economic and Development Authority, Department of Agriculture, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Philippine National Police; and Rogel Marsan of Cosmic Farm, Flordeisa Diase, Tour Guide; Alma Caballero of Crosby Park and Balatoc Mines; Lolita Bentres of Benguet Agri-Tourism farm; Catherine Fangonil of Mendoza Farms; Helen Balad of Neverland Resort; and Grail Polig of Polig Farm.
"We are fully committed to help each other and share resources and benefits in a revitalized tourism program where no one locality is left behind," Vergara De Vera said, highlighting the need for increased engagements with one another.