A New Approach to Tourism?

Last month, some cousins and I were on our way to Itogon via Tuding Road when we thought of taking a short visit at Mines View Park. Although one cousin lives in Baguio, she hasn't brought her kids to Mines View so we decided to be "tourists" for 30 minutes.

There's really not much to see there, only views of the mountains (kaya nga Mines View) of Itogon where small-scale mining continues to thrive. But there are plenty of things to buy: you'll find endless stalls of flowers, food, and pasalubong items.

We were about to leave the "park," which is actually more of a market, when we noticed a group of young people walking up a stage near the entrance to the view deck. Speaking in Tagalog, they sounded excited to have their photo taken while they wore Igorot head gears.



"Mukha na ba tayong mga Igorot?" asked a female tourist to her companions as they took their seats. I didn't hear the reply of one of her friends but the group broke into laughter and seemed to relish the whole experience.

They looked students to me and I felt more dismayed than angry that these young people from the lowlands have little knowledge about Igorots. I can't blame them for having a stereotype image of Igorots as a people who continue to wear head gears. That's what we often see on TV, that's why.

Now I ask: Shouldn't tourism initiatives involve educating tourists as well, and not just concern itself with "selling" a place?

Baguio City thrives on tourism. Decades before Panagbenga, it was and remains to be known as the Summer Capital of the Philippines. Now we have Panagbenga, a month-long event in February, Baguio Tossed Salad Festival in November, the UP Summer Arts Festival usually in April, and other interesting activities to attract tourists to the city. But except for the UP Arts Festival, do these touristy events help other Filipinos get to know more about the people of Baguio and Benguet? Or do they just unfortunately deepen lowlanders'prejudice against Igorots?

I've visited Internet tourist sites for New Zealand and Australia and I'm truly impressed with how they inform readers about the Maoris and Aborigines, "selling" destinations and yes, even their culture, while educating tourists as well.

Isn't the distinct culture and traditions of the Cordillera the unique selling point of Baguio? The city, after all, is part of Benguet, a land of indigenous people. But why do our tourism initiatives dismally fail to inform tourists who the Igorots are? Panagbenga organizers do make an effort to lend some sense of history and context to their events but almost always, the activities are so unrelated to the concept of panagbenga.

Just to show you what I mean, here are some of the activities last February: (at SM) Aloha Hula, Jazz Up Your Jeans, and the Panagbenga Closing Party with Kamikaze; (at Baguio Center Mall) taekwando and arnis competitions. We also had the search for Mr. and Ms. Fashionista, and Mr. Panagbenga and Flower Princess. The rest of the events were about gardening, flowers and trade fairs.

Hey, I'm not saying we do away with pop culture-type money-making events. But can't we make our "festival" more meaningful by showcasing films, concerts, plays or other cultural events that tell more about the Ibalois, or the early builders of Baguio for instance? Or maybe an activity that highlights Baguio's historical sites? Baguio may now be a bustling city peopled by migrants but it will cease to be Baguio if it loses its soul.