Negros Occidental and the cities of Bacolod, Bago, Silay and Sipalay were winners at the Pearl Awards rites of the 26th Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines (ATOP) National Convention in Baguio City Thursday night, October 2.
The province of Negros Occidental was the grand winner for Best Event Hosting – International Category for the Terra Madre 2024, themed “Restoring our Relationship with Nature in the Land of Sweet Surprises”, which was yet another back-to-back win, Provincial Tourism Officer Chery Decena said,
It won the same award for its 2023 international hosting of Terra Madre “Food and Culture Biodiversity”, she said.
The Negros Occidental provincial government was 1st runner-up for Best Event Hosting – Local for the Negros Trade Fair 2024 themed: “Halad”, and 2nd runner-up for Best Institutionalized Program for Culture and the Arts for its entry “Sugar Cultural Landscape of Negros”.
The other winners were:
*Bacolod City — Highly Urbanized Category, Grand Winner for Best Event Hosting (Local) – Bacolod Chicken Inasal Festival – “Inasal Global” and 1st Runner-up for Best Cultural Festival – “MassKara Festival: The Sapphire Celebration”;
*Sipalay City – Grand Winner for Best Tourism Week/Month Celebration – 18th Sipalay City Tourism Month Celebration;
*Bago City – Grand Winner for Best Practices in Sustainable Tourism – “Booming GREEN AGritOurism (BAGO)”; and
*Silay City, Grand Winner for Best Tourism Oriented LGU and 2nd Runner-up for Best Practices for Community-Based Tourism – “Hacienda Adela Folklore Village: Championing Regenerative Culture and Tourism”.
The ATOP National Convention serves as an annual convergence of tourism leaders nationwide, highlighting best practices in tourism governance, Decena said.
It also provides a platform for discussions on industry trends, sustainability, and innovative strategies, she added.*