The Department of Tourism (DOT) has launched the Marian Pilgrimage Circuit featuring the different Marian Shrines of canonically crowned images of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the four provinces of the Ilocos Region.

The Marian Pilgrimage Circuit includes the Minor Basilica of St. John the Baptist in Badoc, Ilocos Norte; St. Augustine Church in Bantay, Ilocos Sur; Basilica of Our Lady of Charity Agoo in Agoo, La Union; St. Catherine of Alexandria Parish Church in Luna, La Union; Minor Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag in Manaoag, Pangasinan; Mary Help of Christians Theology Seminary or the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Dagupan City, Pangasinan; and Church of the Holy Guardian Angels in Sto. Tomas, La Union.

These churches are historical of strong Marian devotion, and where apparitions or other miracles ascribed to the Blessed Virgin Mary have taken place.

In an interview on Monday, Manaoag Mayor Jeremy Agerico Rosario said the town is privileged to be part of this newly launched tourism project as it is known for its Minor Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag.

“We fully support this project in pilgrimage tourism in the region. This will further boost tourist arrivals in our town,” he said.

Rosario said they are continuously addressing the traffic congestion in the town and organizing the vendors to further improve services being offered to tourists or pilgrims.

“We have assigned traffic enforces and at the same time organize the vendors into groups. The newly-opened Manaoag Hotel is also an additional amenity in the town as guests could enjoy an overnight stay after visiting the Minor Basilica,” he said.

He added that with the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway, many motorists with new cars visit the church to have their car blessed.

DOT-Ilocos regional director Joseph Francisco Ortega said the Marian Pilgrimage Circuit will not only be focused on architecture but also on reliving the faith of devout Catholics.

“We are done with the research. We are to print out materials, train the tour guides, and convert all these into a package,” he said in a press conference during the launch of the Marian Pilgrimage Circuit last Dec. 8.

Ortega said the DOT spent a significant budget to train the tour operators and develop packages.

Project manager Kim Dyan Calderon said the circuit aims to promote pilgrimage tourism under the new normal, attract travelers, highlight appreciation of the pilgrim values and initiate the development of a roadmap for Faith Tourism in the Ilocos Region.

Calderon said they target to offer both pilgrimage and sightseeing.

Pilgrimage is a journey undertaken for religious or spiritual purposes while sightseeing is viewing interesting religious monuments or artifacts, she said.

Father Roberto Reyes of the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag said he hopes that the circuit will put meaning into people’s lives.

“Defining factor of the pilgrimage is to make people prayerful and hoping that it will affect their lives,” he said.

Apart from the circuit, the other projects launched by the DOT in the Ilocos Region during the pandemic are bird-watching trails, nature trails, bike trails, food and gastronomic trail and farm tourism trail. (PNA)