Panagbenga starts drawing tourists

Sunday, February 5, 2012

THE annual Baguio Flower Festival known as "Panagbenga" has started to draw visitors to this mountain resort, 250 kilometers north of Manila.

The City Tourism Office has not yet made any estimate of the arrivals since the festival opening last February 1, but the drawing power of "Panagbenga" for the whole month averages one million foreign and local tourists.

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Mayor Mauricio Domogan has observed that more local communities, as well as foreign cities in countries where Baguio has had sisterhood ties are now taking part of the biggest tourism extravaganza here.

This year, Domogan said the festival will augur its first innovative features like the performance of a Korean orchestra, fluvial parade at the Burnham Park lagoon, fun runs and other sports events.

The street dancing and float parades -- the festival main features to be held on February 25 and 26, respectively, are expected to draw more visitors just like in the past 13 years.

This early, more people were noted to be roaming the Baguio parks, commercial areas and other public places as an indication that there are those who are in the city for the duration of the festival.

On the business side, Engr. Vic Calimlim, one of the leaders of the local vendors group, observed that since the opening rites of the festival, more people are trooping to their stalls in the Baguio public market.

Besides, the prices of vegetables sold in the city are in downward trend as more fresh agricultural products are delivered in the public market.

Aside from vegetables, mostly purchased by visitors at this period are strawberries, Kalinga oranges, grapes and root crops that are seasonably abundant this season. (Aure Galacgac)