Panagbenga draws 1.5 million tourists

BAGUIO CITY – At least 1.5 million foreign and domestic tourists visited this mountain resort city to witness the highlights of the 15th Panagbenga or the Baguio Flower Festival over the weekend.

Tourism industry stakeholders said most of the visitors came for the street dancing parade last February 27 and the float parade and marching bands competition last Feb. 28.

At the same time, hotels and lodging houses reported full bookings until the end of this week as tourists flock to take a glimpse of the numerous flower-related activities and displays of work of hundreds of landscapers in the city.

The month-long activities for this year’s festival started Feb. 1 and will end on March 7 with a colorful closing program and announcement of winners of the various competitions.

Tourism officials said the influx of visitors is mainly due to the extreme heat prevailing over the lowlands due to the effects of the prolonged dry spell which is an offshoot of climate change and global warming.

Local businessmen and public utility drivers estimated this year’s crowd was three times more than last year’s.

Monday, the city’s main thoroughfare, Session Road, was closed to vehicular traffic and was transformed into a promenade area with sidewalk cafes on both sides to allow local residents and visitors to enjoy the flower-based displays by hundreds of exhibitors from different parts of the country.

The Baguio Flower Festival Foundation Inc. organizer of Panagbenga, said while this year’s festival is successful, they will introduce innovations the coming years to sustain visitors’ interest.

Panagbenga is a Kankanaey term to mean blossoming of flowers and was used by Rep. Mauricio G. Domogan to name the city’s crowd-drawing event since it is being held simultaneous with the blossoming of flowers in nearby Benguet. – Dexter A. See

The highlights of the festival this year were held in time for the alumni homecoming and graduation ceremonies of the Philippine Military Academy which in itself is an annual crowd-drawer to the highland city.