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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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. 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.
Participants included staff from the Itbayat Tourism Office, emergency responders, municipal employees, local tour operators, homestay owners, and DOT-accredited guides from across Batanes. “It’s high time Philippine destinations viewed tourism through the lens of resilience,” said workshop speaker Boboi Costas.
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. That remoteness has protected its natural and cultural integrity, but it has also kept Itbayat off the tourist radar.
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Recognizing both the opportunity and the risk, the Tourism Promotions Board is proceeding with caution. Rather than replicate high-volume models, the agency is turning to its playbook of community-driven tourism; a slower, more intentional approach rooted in community involvement and culture preservation.
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“Itbayat is not simply another destination,” said TPB COO Nograles. “We see it as an invitation—an encounter with one of the Philippines’ most authentic frontiers.” The goal is to cultivate guardianship among residents, ensuring growth aligns with their vision.
What emerges from Itbayat is a test case for ethical tourism in the Philippines. For now, Itbayat Island remains pristine and unspoiled. Whether we’re past, present, returning or future visitors, it’s on us to help keep it that way.
