The tourism office of Alaminos City, Pangasinan recorded 18,538 visitors to the Hundred Islands National Park during the Holy Week this year, 24 percent lower than the 24,464 visitors in the same period last year.

Assistant tourism officer Rosalie Aruelo said the decline was due to the surge in fuel cost as a result of the conflict in the Middle East.

“It is still a blessing that there are visitors to the Hundred Islands,” Aruelo said in a phone interview on Monday.

Aruelo said bulk of the tourists visited on Maundy Thursday with 4,727, then 5,638 on Friday, 5,709, and 2,464 on Saturday and Sunday.

“There were no significant reported incidents in the islands during the Holy Week,” she said.

She added that they would continue to promote and boost tourism in the city as they seek ways and measures amid the challenges.

Among the most visited islands in the national park is the Pilgrimage Island where the Our Lady of the Assumption statue and chapel are situated.

The island features religious landmarks, including the Stations of the Cross and a 56-foot Christ the Savior statue atop the island, offering a panoramic view of the national park.

Other attractions are a gallery of religious artifacts and a Saint Valentine shrine.

The national park features 17 islands open to the public, with activities like diving, swimming, fish feeding, snorkeling, spelunking and jet ski riding. (PNA)