BAGUIO CITY – Despite the recent damage suffered by the region due to the onslaught of typhoon “Pepeng” which nearly paralyzed the region’s tourism industry, foreign tourists, particularly Europeans, and their local counterparts have started to flock to this mountain resort city and the different tourist destinations region-wide, a gauge the tourism sector is now on its ascending level.

Tourism is one of the major economic indicators of this city and the rest of the Cordillera because of the existence of natural tourist spots which serve as an attraction for the influx of foreign and domestic tourists who spend to help in perking up the industry to help the areas recover from the typhoon’s wrath.

Purificacion Molintas, director of the Department of Tourism (DoT) in the Cordillera, said European tourists continue to dominate the foreign tourist arrivals in the region because of their being adventurous and nature lovers where the tourist spots in the city and region fit well.

Included in the region’s natural tourist attractions aside from the cool and romantic weather in this city, are the mummies at the Kabayan caves, the famous Sagada hanging coffins and caves in Mountain Province, the world famous Banaue rice terraces in Ifugao, the white water rafting in Kalinga, particularly along the Chico river, the strawberry and flower farms in La Trinidad, Benguet and the trekking of Mount Pulag, the second highest mountain peak in the country.

According to Molintas, European tourists have been topping the list of foreign tourist arrivals over the past several years which make the European countries as a major market for the region’s recovering tourism industry.

Aside from Europeans, other tourists visiting the region include Americans, Russians, Chinese, Koreans, Japanese, Germans.