San Fernando City: The La Union Tourism Office has reported a significant increase in tourist arrivals during the Holy Week, recording approximately 415,028 visitors compared to 220,182 during the same period last year.

According to Philippines News Agency, the data collected from April 12 to April 20, which includes the day before Palm Sunday up to Easter Sunday, revealed that there were 337,362 day visitors and 77,666 overnight tourists. Pilgrimage sites, particularly churches, were among the most frequented, with a total of 104,895 visitors. Notable sites included the St. John the Baptist Parish Church in San Juan town and several others in San Fernando City and Caba.

Apart from religious sites, tourists also flocked to non-pilgrimage attractions. The San Juan Beach area attracted 61,002 visitors, while other popular sites included Agoo Eco Fun World with 28,013 visitors, Baluarte Watch Tower with 14,092, and Immuki Island with 12,578 visitors. Other attractions such as Halo Halo De Iloko, Ma-Cho Temple, and Tangadan Falls also saw significant footfall.

Demographic data indicated that women constituted 60 percent of the visitors, and 40 percent of the tourists hailed from Metro Manila. “The tourist arrivals data that we have seen for the Holy Week 2025 period proves that La Union has already placed itself on the global tourism map as a premier destination of the North,” remarked Julius Manabat, officer-in-charge of the Provincial Tourism Office.

Governor Raphaelle Veronica Ortega-David expressed that the impressive numbers highlight the sustained tourism development in the province, adding, “These numbers can be attributed to the sustained tourism development we have in the province that gives our tourists more and more reasons to Live, Own, Visit and Enjoy, LOVE, La Union.”