A Tourism Workshop Brings New Attention to Isolated Itbayat Island in Batanes

 

Organized by the Tourism Promotions Board of the Philippines, the workshop focused on destination resiliency, signaling renewed support for sustainable tourism in one of the country’s most secluded islands.

Let’s get one thing straight: Batanes isn’t your average beach-and-bar-hopping Philippine getaway. It’s remote, like seriously remote. Located far in the Philippine Sea, over 160 kilometers north of Luzon, it’s a destination that shrugs off convenience. Ships don’t carry passengers, only cargo. Flights are few, and when the weather decides to be unpredictable, which happens often, cancellations are a given.

The workshop participants, media with members of the Tourism Promotions Board of the Philippine (TPB)

But that’s all part of the province’s added attraction among countless other reasons to come. For those who make it, Batanes offers something rare: a place that still feels untouched. Most travelers, however, stick to the main island of Batan, home to Basco, the provincial capital, and its main airport. Some hop over to Sabtang for its time-capsule old stone houses and cinematic coastlines.

Then there’s Itbayat.

The third and most far-flung of the province’s inhabited islands, Itbayat marks the end of Batanes’ paved roads. Often skipped, forgotten, or simply left off most visitors’ itineraries, it might just be the most intriguing destination of all.

Off-the-Grid Itbayat

When it comes to tourism, Batanes remains one of the Philippines’ least-visited provinces. In 2024, just over 13,000 travelers arrived or an average of 35 per day. Only about 10% of them ventured farther to Itbayat, the country’s northernmost inhabited island. Beyond it lie the uninhabited islets: Siayan, Mavulis, and Y’ami.

Surrounded by rocky cliffs, Itbayat's residents hope that modern engineering will one day build them a safe, typhoon resistant port.

Getting to Itbayat is part of the adventure: a three-hour boat ride across choppy seas or a seven-minute flight from Basco aboard a six-seater plane, costing around ₱3,000. Perhaps because of the nausea-inducing boat ride or the plane ride that appear scary to many, most tourists skip it, making Itbayat feel like the Philippines’ best-kept secret.

It's best to take anti-seasickness meds before boarding the Faluwa

Spanish colonial influence reached Itbayat with the founding of a canonical mission in 1855. Under American rule, Itbayat became a municipal district in 1909 and was declared a full municipality by 1935.

But like the rest of Batanes, Itbayat sits in a zone of frequent natural threats. Typhoons and earthquakes are common. A magnitude 6.0 quake in 2019 severely damaged many of its traditional stone houses and the historic Santa Maria de Mayan Church — a stark reminder of the island’s vulnerability and unshaken resilience.

Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) of the Philippines’ Local Tourism Workshop 

With resilience now embedded in daily life in Batanes and its exceptional landscapes drawing growing interest from travelers, it has become essential for government agencies to prioritize the province in development plans. The focus: strengthening defenses against recurring natural disasters while integrating climate-resilient practices into its tourism strategy.

Boboi Costas, one of the expert speakers the Tourism Promotions Board of the Philippines flew to Batanes

For the first time since the pandemic, a national government agency brought a capacity-building program to the island of Itbayat. The Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) of the Philippines, the marketing arm of the Department of Tourism (DOT), led a two-day workshop aimed at empowering communities through community-based tourism.

“This initiative reflects our commitment to inclusive, community-led tourism—especially in geographically isolated areas,” said TPB Chief Operating Officer Marga Nograles. She called the event a key step toward empowering one of the country’s most remote communities.

Another workshop speaker, Chen Mencias, has authored several books on local community-based tourism

Itbayat Mayor Sabas C. de Sagon thanked the TPB not just for visiting, but for organizing a workshop that could help locals promote the island more effectively. “It’s an honor for us to be here,” added Alberto Gadia, TPB’s Domestic Tourism Marketing Specialist. “We’re here to share knowledge, but also to learn from the community.”

Alberto Gadia of the Tourism Promotions Board of the Philippines

Participants included staff from the Itbayat Tourism Office, emergency responders, municipal employees, local tour operators, homestay owners, and DOT-accredited guides from across Batanes.

Trisha Servando delivers a short message from TPB COO Marga Nograles

“It’s high time Philippine destinations viewed tourism through the lens of resilience,” said workshop speaker Boboi Costas, founder of Grassroots Travel Consulting and former Cebu Provincial Tourism Officer. “We often talk about sustainability, but we overlook that true sustainability can’t exist without resilience.”

Also joining were Louie and Chen Mencias, a husband-and-wife team and longtime advocates of sustainable and community-based tourism. Both have written widely used training modules that help empower local communities across the country.

Bringing Strategy to the Art of Promoting Tourism

By all means, Itbayat remains a secret to most: one of the Philippines’ oldest settlements and yet, in terms of tourism, still an infant. Despite its history dating back to the arrival of the Austronesians, the island has long remained isolated, both geographically and developmentally. That remoteness has protected its natural and cultural integrity, but it has also kept Itbayat off the tourist radar, far behind the glossy promotion of more accessible provinces.

Around 30-plus participants representing all local stakeholders attended the 2-day workshop

Recognizing both the opportunity and the risk that comes with increased attention, the Tourism Promotions Board of the Philippines is proceeding with caution. Rather than replicate the high-volume, high-impact tourism models seen elsewhere, the agency is turning to its playbook of community-driven tourism; a slower, more intentional approach rooted in community involvement and culture preservation.

“Itbayat is not simply another destination,” said TPB Chief Operating Officer Marga Nograles. “We see it as an invitation—an encounter with one of the Philippines’ most authentic and untouched frontiers.”

The Tourism Promotions Board of the Philippines also handed out tour guide kits to local tour guides

That sentiment served as the spirit of the two-day tourism and marketing workshop aimed not at enticing investors or developers, but with entrusting the local community itself. The goal: to cultivate a kind of guardianship among Itbayat’s residents, ensuring that any future growth in tourism aligns with their values and vision.

Itbayat's Tourism Officer Ms. Abigail Guttierez

“This is the spirit we hope to nurture,” Nograles added, “empowering the people of Itbayat to take pride in their land, to protect its integrity, and to become active participants in shaping its future. Our emphasis on low-impact, ‘leave no trace’ travel isn’t just a tourism policy—it’s a promise to future generations.”

What emerges from Itbayat is not just a story of a place on the cusp of change, but a test case for whether tourism in the Philippines can evolve to a more ethical, less commercialized, and faithful to the place.

For now, Itbayat Island and the rest of Batanes remains everything travelers dream of; pristine and unspoiled. Whether we’re past, present, returning or future visitors, it’s on us to help keep it that way. 

A version of this article first appeared on Rappler.