Question: What is the first tourist destination you experience when you arrive at Cagayan de Oro City from the air?
Hint: Everyone who flies into Cagayan de Oro MUST experience it. Whether you like it or not. No one is spared.
Give up?
Answer: It’s the Cagayan de Oro AIRPORT! =D
An airport is considered a tourist destination??? Of course! It is the first thing we see that should give us a hint of what is in store for us in the place we are visiting, in the case of many, for the first time.
The Cagayan de Oro Airport was built in the 1960s and has grown from a small provincial airport (catering to only one airline) to a bustling terminal servicing up to 20 flights daily. It has even taken on a few emergency landings by international aircrafts and not to mention several flights of PSGs of the various Philippine Presidents.
As you enter the arrival area, you first have to step on the foot bath that contains a chemical pesticide which kills off bacteria and viruses which cause foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in cattle. Bukidnon, located at the heart of Mindanao, has the highest population of cattle in the Philippines and – I am proud to say, being from Bukidnon myself – has been FMD-free for over 15 years now.
Not to disappoint, on both walls (right and left) one can see the pretty pictures of the different hotels in the city, as well as a billboard on Lanao del Norte. Then, as you move towards the baggage carousel on the left, you see a small counter manned by a Department of Tourism – X staff. On the counter is a brochure stand usually filled with flyers and brochures for tour packages in and around Region 10.
Finally, once you’ve gotten all your bags, you head out into the bright sunshine that is in Cagayan de Oro City. And now the real vacation starts.
Welcome to Cagayan de Oro City, the City of Golden Friendship! You give us your gold and we’ll give you our friendship! =)
Life in the Bukids 