On the few occasions I was able to go abroad, what I eagerly sought out were the people, more than the scenery, more than the iconic landmarks.

I choose to spend more time trying to gain a deeper understanding of the culture or heritage of a destination. Culture is what travelling should be all about.

The World Tourism Organization tells us that cultural tourism accounts for 37% of global tourism, and furthermore affirms that it will continue to grow 15% each year.

In other words, nowadays, the culture of any destination is the major driver not only of its tourism sector but also its economy as a whole.

As defined by tourism experts, Cultural Tourism is traveling to experience the places, artifacts and activities that authentically represent the stories and people of the past and present.

To me stories of people and places should be our way of cultural tourism. Why? Let’s face it, we don’t have awe-inspiring heritage assets that will command the interest of tourists like the ruins of Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Wall of China, Borobudur in Indonesia or Angkor Wat in Cambodia or the Parthenon in Greece or the Aztec and Maya temples in South America, or the Roman Coliseum and St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome and so on.

What we have are small simple stories of our people and our places that, if packaged properly by local communities, can draw tourists and travelers who are culture seekers. Each town or city has its own unique cultural assets which can be developed such as historical sites, modern urban districts, “ethnic pockets” of town, fairs/festivals, theme parks, and natural ecosystems and so on.

But above all these, my advice is simple: harness the power of storytelling. All of us are suckers for a good story. Why are we bingeing on tele-seryes? Why are we willing to part with our hard-earned money for movies? It’s because we are hooked on stories.

Come to think of it. Stories are the reason why we are drawn to iconic landmarks. The Pyramids. The Vatican. The Aztec ruins. The Parthenon. We have been prepped by stories we read about them. Our imagination is filled with the drama and the history behind them.

So my advice to local government and community leaders in Bicolandia or any region for that matter is to find the inherent drama in your place that can be built up into theatrical proportions and that can be told well. Don’t limit yourselves to Mayon Volcano as an attraction. Bugbog na. Be more imaginative.

It could be a piece of history like the origin of the town or city or the name or the native heroes, or a unique indigenous cuisine. Or whatever.

Take Naga City. Naga is the native pre-colonial name of the city. It is named after the narra tree which is known as naga in the Bikol language. It was abundant in the region and was part of a pre-colonial industry of wooden cups and bowls made from narra that produced distinctive blue and yellow opalescent colors when water is poured into them. During the Spanish colonial era, they were exported to Mexico as luxury goods and ended up in Europe as gifts to European nobility. Isn’t this a good basis for an appealing story about Naga?

What about the prehistoric datus who ventured towards Southern Luzon who were closely allied with the Kedatuan of Madja-as Confederation, which was located southeast on Panay Island. According to the epic Maragtas, two datus and their followers, who followed Datu Puti. One group settled in what is now the Bicol Peninsula. An ancient tomb preserved among the Bicolanos, discovered and examined by anthropologists during the 1920s, refers to some of the same deities and personages mentioned in the Maragtas.

Taguig and Pasig share a common last syllable which is “ig.” It has a common etymology with tubig. The names refer to the fact that the first people who built the communities came by boats using the river. Thus, you can create a story around the concept of “People of the River.” This could be the basis of your cultural tourism product. You can have products made of water lilies fished out of the Pasig River. You can have boat rides. You can blow up the river goddess or diwata and exploit the song “Mutya ng Pasig.”

Or take another example a municipality like Santa Maria Bulacan. This is the birthplace of Jose Corazon de Jesus, the king of the spoken word, balagtasan. The townfolks can create an annual festival of the spoken word during his birth month and make a splash to attract tourists domestic or foreign.

Consider Tagaytay. Instead of just offering scenic vistas of the volcano, why not produce an immersive audio-visual presentation that tells the story of Taal and the surrounding areas, how the volcano has buried whole towns and churches hundreds of years before and then give them a feel of the eruption through mechanical movement of the seats. After viewing this sensurround video, tourists will not only be entertained, they will have a deeper and richer appreciation of Taal area as they look around.

Just use the imagination and you can conjure up a spectacle through sound, images and motion. You can utilize holographic technology to make characters come alive, if your budget is up to it. Bicolanos can do this by using the power of theatrical storytelling to give life to Ibalon the famous epic which shows how the first towns of Bicol were established under the leadership of Baltog, Handiong, and Bantong. While on it, you can build an entire tourism industry around a fantasyland featuring Bicolano pantheon of mythical heroes, deities and creatures, such as Bakunawa, Gugurang, Batala, Languiton and so on.

Study the templates of Universal Studios and Disneyland parks. Harness the power of visual storytelling using CGI and wall projection to draw tourists. Encourage content generation and viral dissemination on social media. Then wait for the bus loads of tourists who are sure to come.

Showcasing our culture through powerful and creative storytelling through immersive experience as well as digital technology will help preserve our cultural and historical heritage. By hooking our own people into the story of our culture, we are able to establish and reinforce our cultural identity and help build our self- image… our branding as a nation in the minds of other people.

One can take a traveler’s mind out of a destination, but one can never take that destination out of his mind. For once it is well-told and experienced, a culture will stay in the mind forever.

About the author: NICK TAYAG is a multi-media writer and communications specialist. His special focus is scriptwriting for audio visual presentations and documentary videos, creative conceptualization and writing think pieces. Now in his early 70s, he is the Creative Consultant of a digital production and event management outfit. He also writes a regular column for the Business Mirror called “My Sixty Zen’s Worth” which comes out every Saturday. His most recent script for a bio documentary on Filipino master filmmaker Gerardo “Manong” de Leon entitled “Salamat sa Alaala,” was nominated for best documentary in the 2016 URIAN awards. As an advertising copywriter in the 1990s, he won recognition from the Creative Guild of the Philippines and the Public Relations Society of the Philippines for ads he wrote for corporate clients. He also won a UNICEF-PPI Award for Outstanding Story On Children. He is presently working on a book on creative conceptualization as well as inspirational booklets.