Mayor Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez said on Sunday, October 15, that several developers have expressed interest in putting up hotels in Bacolod City to meet its growing number of tourists.
Benitez, on the program “Isugid Kay Mayor” aired on FMR Bacolod 91.1 on Sunday morning, said all of Bacolod’s hotels that have about 3,000 rooms are fully booked for the highlight week of the MassKara Festival that is drawing in thousands of tourists.
He also said direct flights from South Korea to the Bacolod Silay Airport are also being organized.
“We are just fixing the flights, hopefully by next year the international flights will come in,” he said.
A tour organizer is planning to bring Korean tourists in on those direct flights to Negros, he said.
Meanwhile, MassKara Festival chairman Jojie Dingcong, in his speech at the unveiling of the biggest MassKara banner in Bacolod at Megaworld’s The Upper East on Saturday, said the festival is driving domestic tourism, consumption, and the economy.
He also noted that there are people from neighboring provinces who are now coming to look for employment in Bacolod, unlike in the past where they would go to Manila.
Dingcong said his dream along with Benitez is that Megaworld will create for Bacolod a mini Singapore.
The mayor is planning to create quarterly tourism activities to draw tourists to Bacolod all year round to boost the local economy, he also said.
Megaworld unveiled a 50 feet x 50 feet “Megaworld Smiles” banner hanging on the façade of Two Regis at The Upper East.
“Megaworld Smiles”, the company’s theme for this year’s MassKara Festival, mirrors the energy and the excitement that Megaworld has been pouring into the “City of Smiles” as it joins Bacoleños in celebrating the vibrant way of life in Bacolod, a statement from the firm said.
The Upper East is the biggest venue of this year’s festivities, it added.
The unveiling was led by Harold Geronimo, Megaworld Corporation vice president and head of Public Relations and Media Affairs.*