Pangasinan might be best known for its food such as the Puto Calasiao, Dagupan’s bangus, and the well-loved Alaminos longganisa, but this province also offers several tourist attractions.
The town of Bolinao, which can be found at the northwestern tip of Pangasinan and is just some 2-hours’ drive away from the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX), offers some of the province’s must-see tourist spots.
The town is home to Bolinao Sungayan Grill, an open-air establishment that takes its customers on a leisurely cruise down Balingasay River.
“My father was formerly a councilor in Bolinao. There was an activity in Bohol and he saw the Loboc river cruise there. He was inspired by it and knowing that Bolinao is home to Balingasay River, he knew that the town could offer something similar,” Mika Celeste shared.
The Balingasay River is a 7-kilometer river fed by Quibuar Spring, Bolinao Falls, and several other springs and creeks and empties into the West Philippine Sea.
It has been dubbed as Luzon’s cleanest river and home to a 15-hectare mangrove forest that has been recognized as a protected area.
Sungayan Grill’s Kamayan Feast.During the summer months, Balingasay River shines a turquoise blue and guests can see plenty of fish at the riverbank.
Guests are then ushered to board the floating bamboo huts which would be pulled by a pump boatupstream before returning back to the restaurant.
During this hour-long ride, diners can enjoy a classic Filipino kamayan feast with items such as grilled boneless bangus, grilled pork belly, blue crabs, shrimp, Pampano, and the restaurant’s namesake, Sungayan or unicorn fish.
Bolinao is also home to one of the oldest lighthouses and the second tallest lighthouse in the Philippines.
The Cape Bolinao lighthouse was built by Filipino, American, and British engineers in 1905 and sits 351 feet above sea level due to its location at the peak of the Punta Piedra Point — a hill of solid rock which is the sharp point of Cape Bolinao itself. The lighthouse is now being maintained by the Philippine Coast Guard under its adopt-a-lighthouse program.
After a short walk uphill, guests are treated to a panoramic view of the edge of Pangasinan’s landmass as it embraces the seemingly-unending stretch of the West Philippine Sea.
Entrance to the lighthouse is free, with guests needing only to register at the entrance. The lighthouse is best visited at sunset for visitors to enjoy the stunning vistas that would be painted in red and gold by the sun.
Some 15 minutes away from the lighthouse is Patar beach. While the sand might not be as fine as Boracay’s, Patar beach is no slouch with its white sands, crystal clear blue water, and scenic view as it is flanked by rock formations on each side of the beach.
While various resorts line the shore, the southernmost portion of the beach is in itself is a public area, making it a lively spot with many visitors spending the entire day beachside.
There are numerous huts and villas at the beach where guests can enjoy a meal or relax after swimming.
At the back of the beach, closer to the main road, there are also stores and restaurants as well as the public toilet and bath where visitors can rinse off the sand and salt after a day at the beach.
There are also many activities being offered by locals such as snorkeling, boat tours, and other water activities.
Pangasinan Governor Ramon Guico III shared that the province has seen significant growth in tourist arrivals. In 2023, total tourist arrivals reached 9,065,577, a 52 percent increase from the previous year’s arrivals of 5,972,629.
However, he noted that tourists rarely stay overnight in Pangasinan.
“We have over 9 million tourist arrivals but only around 600,000 stay overnight in the province and this is a gap that needs to be addressed. The natural attractions and the tourist spots of the province attract tourists but the challenge is how to make them stay,” Guico said.
“We are asking people in the hospitality sector — operators, investors, hotel and resort owners, to beef up their investments. Improve their services, their accommodations, their rooms, to entice all of these tourists to stay in the province at least overnight,” he added.
The provincial government is also in talks with an international hotel brand to put up a property in the provincial capitol, Lingayen.
“We’d like to establish a 320-room hotel. It is ambitious but it makes sense to put it in the capitol because this is the center of the province. Pangasinan is one of the biggest provinces in the country and with the eventual completion of the Pangasinan Link Expressway (PLEX), the connectivity to other parts of the province will be there,” Guico said.
The provincial government is also working on putting up an airport in Bolinao. Land acquisition for the project is currently underway, with initial plans to put up a 1,500-meter runway that would accommodate smaller crafts.
However, Guico said that this might be extended to 2,500 meters following suggestions by foreign groups, allowing the proposed airport to accommodate narrow body jets such as the Airbus A320.
“We’ve seen how airports can help boost tourism. We’ve seen it in Siargao and Panglao which saw exponential growth since the addition of the airports. So the province needs this airport, and the bigger it is, the more types of planes and the more people it can accommodate, the better,” he said.
