Bacolod tourist arrivals are expected to hit 600,000 by the end of 2022, or a 284 percent increase from last year, City Tourism Officer Tere Quebrar Manalili said on Tuesday, August 9.
Manalili, who spoke at a Tourism Stakeholders Meeting at Acacia Hotel in Bacolod, said in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic the city had about 803,000 visitors.
In 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the number dropped to 143,000 visitors or by 82 percent. In 2021 there was slight increase by 3.12 percent with 147,000 arrivals in Bacolod, she added.
“Slowly, we’re picking up the pieces with increasing visitor arrivals at 19,000 in January, 24,000 in February, 35,000 in March, 38,000 in April, 46,000 in May and 57,000 in June” this year, Manalili said.
She said her conservative projection is at the end of 2022, Bacolod will have had about 600,000 visitor arrivals.
This does not include the tourism arrivals they anticipate for the MassKara Festival in October, Tanduay-Bacolod Rum Festival in August, Tourism Month in September, Diwali Festival in November and Christmas arrivals in December, she said.
Manalili also said in 2020 Bacolod had 63 Department of Tourism accredited establishments, 71 in 2022 and 119 in 2022.
Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez has suggested that they focus on the following priorities- MICE tourism, food tourism, marketing and promotions, smart tourism, capacity building, arts and culture, clean, green and beautification, Manalili said.
The mayor has okayed the allocation of resources for the implementation of Bacolod tourism activities in 2023, she also said.*