THE Province of Negros Occidental and Bacolod City were named grand winners and runners-up in various categories during the prestigious Pearl Awards of the 26th Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines (Atop) National Convention held in Baguio City on October 2, 2025.
Negros Occidental won as grand winner for Best Event Hosting – International for Terra Madre 2024, themed “Restoring our Relationship with Nature.” This marked another back-to-back victory for the province, which also bagged the same award in 2023 for hosting Terra Madre: Food and Culture Biodiversity.
Bacolod City emerged as grand winner for Best Event Hosting – Local Event (Highly Urbanized City Level) for the Bacolod Chicken Inasal Festival – “Inasal Global.”
The province also secured first runner-up for Best Event Hosting – Local for the Negros Trade Fair 2024 with the theme “Halad.” It likewise placed second runner-up for Best Institutionalized Program for its Culture and the Arts Program entry, “Sugar Cultural Landscape of Negros,” which is currently listed on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (Unesco) tentative list for World Heritage Sites.
Bacolod City’s MassKara Festival: “The Sapphire Celebration” won first runner-up for Best Cultural Festival (Highly Urbanized City Level).
Other awardees from Negros Occidental included:
Sipalay City, grand winner for Best Tourism Week/Month Celebration with the 18th Sipalay City Tourism Month Celebration;
Bago City, grand winner for Best Practices in Sustainable Tourism with “Booming GREEN AGritOurism (Bago).”
Silay City was also recognized as grand winner for Best Tourism-Oriented LGU and second runner-up for Best Practices in Community-Based Tourism with “Hacienda Adela Folklore Village: Championing Regenerative Culture and Tourism.”
The Atop National Convention, held from October 1 to 4, 2025 in Baguio City, served as an annual convergence of tourism leaders nationwide. The event highlights best practices in tourism governance while providing a platform for discussions on industry trends, sustainability, and innovative strategies. (MAP)