In this section:

• Goals
• Vision-Mission
• The Product
• Batanes Tourism Strategy
• Target Market
• Why Tourism?

GOALS

General Goals

1. Improve quality of life and environment in Batanes that is home to all Ivatans and visitors.
2. Build a sense of community pride, spirit and opportunity based on cultural integrity and an ecologically balanced environment of pristine beauty.

Objectives

1. Ensure that benefits from tourism, in the form of fees, revenues and employment, are enjoyed by all Ivatan communities, from Basco to Itbayat
2. Ensure that tourists understand and appreciate the Batanes cultural and natural heritage and contribute to the preservation and conservation of the same
3. Heighten awareness and appreciation among Ivatans, of their identity and their material and non-material cultural heritage thereby enhancing, preserving and conserving the same.
4. Maintain ecological balance and environmental integrity while meeting the food, recreational and other economic needs of Ivatans and tourists alike.
5. Ensure the sustainability of a conservation anchored tourism industry through provincial and local ordinances, local bodies and support mechanisms and integration of development efforts of all sectors affecting tourism. 
6. Provide locals and tourists alike with basic conveniences and comforts afforded by adequate facilities and amenities.
7. Stimulate sustainable economic activities through appropriate investments in public infrastructure and facilities.
8. Develop a strong base of knowledgeable and service oriented stakeholders and workers in the tourism industry with a keen appreciation of the cultural and natural values of Batanes
9. Attain a certain level of food sufficiency to meet the requirements of all Ivatans and visitors alike.
10. Enhance delivery of and access to basic social services, particularly health for locals and tourists alike.
11. Provide access to alternative recreational facilities for a healthy lifestyle consistent with the local cultural value system and improve the diversity and quality of visitor experience.

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VISION - MISSION

Sectoral Vision

“A thriving and competitive but culturally compatible and environmentally sustainable tourism industry which generates community benefits and enriches the quality of life and enjoyment for Ivatans and visitors alike.”

Sectoral Mission

• Development and promotion of eco-cultural tourism – as a new industry.
• Management of tourism in Batanes with due considerations for the protection and conservation of the Ivatan cultural and natural heritage, greater participation of host communities, establishment of viable industries and the promotion of broad based, sustainable, provincial development.

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The Product

Batanes shall be positioned as a cultural and ecological destination with the following highlights that provide outstanding universal values and a distinctly wow experience:

• Vernacular Houses – Four types of vernacular houses (maytuab, sinadumparan, jinjin and beaterio) are entirely unique to Batanes and vividly evoke a people’s mastery of their environment and adaptation to foreign influences in centuries past
• Landscapes and Seascapes - Cliffs that drop to the sea and winding, cliffside roads, “Marlboro Country” (communal pasture), maze-like hedgerows separating farms, panoramic vistas of land and sea,  hiking and sightseeing trails. The overall effect is an edge of the earth experience that is dramatic, spellbinding and romantic all at once.
• People and their Practices - Honesty Coffee Shop; virtues of honesty, courtesy and friendliness; centuries old cooperative traditions. The people experience gives an overall feel of being in a lost era where people are not yet corrupted and where one is always safe.
• Archaeological sites and Artifacts – ancient burial grounds, fortresses (Ijangs). These sites give a distinct sense of connectedness to the roots and ancestors of Filipinos from the North – migrants from mainland China that reached the Philippines through Formosa or Taiwan. These sites abound in the entire Province.
• Endemic Flora and Fauna and Migratory Birds – vanacnid, vayasuvas, tatus, etc., the various endemic species plusmigratory birds add to the sense of importance of Batanes as a protected area.

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BATANES TOURISM STRATEGY

The Batanes Eco-cultural Tourism Industry as the centerpiece development strategy of Governor Telesforo F. Castillejos for Batanes seeks to achieve the vision of the province through a broad based, conservation oriented tourism industry supported by judicious use and development of resources. It will enable the province to grow in an economically, culturally, socially and environmentally sustainable manner.  It will concretize the quest for long term development articulated in the vision-mission of the province.

As a far reaching, broad based industry, eco-cultural tourism will focus, converge, and merge all sectoral development efforts in the province.  It also directs people participation in development activities and will generate socio-economic returns for a greater number of people.

It is along this line that a cohesive and collaborative working atmosphere and relationships among the different sectors of the local government, from the municipal to the barangay level needs to be established. Likewise, partnerships between the provincial government and national agencies and other supportive groups need to be in place. Finally, cooperation of the local communities, households and the private sector needs to be ensured at all times to enable this industry to flourish.

The development of Eco-Cultural Tourism (ECT) as a new industry in Batanes seeks to generate benefits for a greater number of Ivatans. In aims to redefine tourism development as one that conforms to the needs and aspirations of the Ivatans, designed and implemented with their active participation and which ensures that the cultural and natural heritage of the province, from which its attractiveness as a destination comes from, is protected and conserved.

TARGET MARKET

The World Tourism Organization lists six types of tourists, namely:

1. Sun and Sea Tourist
   
2. Nature Tourist (Adventure and Eco-Tourist)
   
3. Cultural Tourist
   
4. Health Tourist
   
5. Farm Tourist
   
6. Leisure & Entertainment Tourist

Of these six, the primary target markets are the following:

• Cultural Tourists. These are tourists who appreciate authentic material or non-material local culture, look for traces of interchange of human values over time, interested in artifacts and other testaments of local history, like to mingle with local folks and appreciate native expressions of universal human values.
• Nature Tourists, both Eco-Tourists and Adventure Tourists. These are tourists who derive enjoyment from natural landscapes and seascapes, who understand and appreciate basic ecology, display strong support to biodiversity conservation, delights in the outdoors, engage in physically challenging activities and tests their stamina and strength. 

Profile of the target market:

• middle to high income group
• 25 – 75 years old
• relatively well traveled
• relatively educated or well trained - professionals, businessmen, executives, skilled
• could be  “Balikbayans”

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WHY TOURISM?

1. A distinctive Ivatan culture manifested in its adaptive local architecture, and artifacts as well as in the collective character of the people
2. An invigorating semi-temperate climate with its cool air and unpolluted atmosphere
3. Panoramic landscapes of gently rolling green pastures, patches of fields with hedgerows, in between stunning stretches of roadside cliffs
4. Dramatic seascapes of jutting rock formations, massive cliffs and white sandy beaches, shorelines of boulders of various shapes and sizes
5. Small and quiet communities of gentle and polite people that provide an unreal feeling of peace
6. Extensive and rich marine resources
7. Well distributed rainfall and semi-temperate climate favorable to a productive agriculture
8. Batanes is part of North Luzon Agri-Business Quadrangle.
9. Batanes is a protected area per NIPAS Act and BPLS Act (RA 8991).
10. Batanes is nominated to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites List.