How to Use the Tourist Pass System When Visiting the Ilocos Region

Travelling to La Union, Pangasinan, Ilocos Sur, and Ilocos Norte as a tourist? An app, or rather the Region 1 tourist pass system, just might come in handy. Region 1, also known as the Ilocos Region, comprises these four beautiful destinations in the Philippines. For safer travels, its local governments offer this resource for those travelling from outside the vicinity!

Also read: Underrated Northern Luzon Destinations Worth the Road Trip

What is the Region 1 tourist pass system?

Tara Na! is an initiative of the Ilocos Region in partnership with the Department of Tourism (DOT). It aims to facilitate leisure visits to La Union, Pangasinan, Ilocos Sur, and Ilocos Norte. It also helps with the region’s contact tracing and visitor monitoring efforts. More importantly, it reduces exposure unlike in manual registrations, and is cost-efficient.

More than letting tourists register for their Ilocos Region tours, Tara Na! contains the lists of travel requirements for each destination. It also comes with a compilation of DOT-accredited accommodations, tour guides, hotels, restaurants, and itineraries. Except for Pangasinan, the places require booking with tour operators to better manage movement among visitors.

Also read: COVID-19 Philippines Travel Advisory for Filipinos and Foreign Visitors

How you can register on Tara Na!

To register, simply go to the tourist pass system’s official website and application. You’ll then be shown a list of information and documents that you will need to prepare. These are your current address information (barangay, municipality or city, province, and zip code) and identification (profile picture, valid government ID with photo, and a selfie of you holding the ID).

Upon successful registration, you can use the website or its application to apply for a tourist pass to any of the Ilocos Region provinces. Simply click on the name of your target destination, and add details about where you’re coming from. You may only do this if the destination accepts visitors from your locality at the time of registration.

For security reasons, the information you will provide in applying for a tourist pass will be deleted after 30 days. The Region 1 tourist pass system is also only available among those visiting La Union, Pangasinan, Ilocos Sur, and Ilocos Norte for tourism or leisure purposes. Tara Na! is available on iOS and Android.

Featured image credit: abujassim1981 | Pixabay