By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo / Special to the BusinessMirror
AVIATION enthusiasts, adventure-sports practitioners, balloonists and families converged at the Clark Field in Angeles, Pampanga, over the weekend for the 21st Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta.
Tourism Undersecretary for Public Affairs Katherine de Castro said at the fiesta’s opening ceremony on February 9: “The event has served not only as a fascinating air show, but also as a showcase of genuine Filipino hospitality, where we make our guests feel at home with family.” De Castro said she has been attending the annual event—this year themed “Weekend of Everything That Flies and Exchange of Cultures”—since she was 15 years old.
A news statement from the Department of Tourism (DOT) said delegations of aviators from 12 countries, including a first-time participant from China, joined various groups of Filipino flyers for the four-day festivities, attracting thousands of balloon hobbyists from across the globe, as well as students, soldiers and aviation executives.
“No wonder the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Foundation [Pihabf] has won the participation of flying aficionados from all over the world. We do have great scenery and warm climate conducive for flying and, most important, our genuine Filipino hospitality,” de Castro added.
The festival featured sky diving, paragliding, air firefighting demo, kite flying, aircraft exhibit, model airplane show and an aviation seminar-workshop. “We will continue to support wholesome and unique activities like these that help lift our tourism industry,” she stressed.
The DOT official was joined at the opening ceremony by Pihabf event director and pilot Capt. Joy Roa, Clark Development Corp. President Noel Manankil, Transportation Undersecretary for Aviation Roberto Lim and Pihabf President Vicencio Dizon.
In Manila, on the same day, meanwhile, Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon T. Teo sat down with Metro Manila mayors, local government unit representatives, tourism officers, line agency representatives and private sectors to thresh out pressing issues, concerns and plans to revitalize tourism in Metropolitan Manila.
In her keynote speech at the Metro Manila Tourism Forum’s opening ceremony at the Crowne Plaza Galleria in Ortigas, the DOT chief noted, “the price that we all seem to be paying for [Metro Manila’s] progress, the traffic, the congestion, lack of urban planning”, are already taking their toll on the metropolis.
But, she said, the DOT will continue to be supportive of forums and dialogues as part of the “steps to address these concerns and start the big task of changing the ‘face’ of the city for tourists”.
She also assured the LGU representatives that a cruise-tourism program that will greatly benefit the Metro is already in the pipeline, as well as plans to increase the number of tourist police, in cooperation with the Philippine National Police and the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
“The successful staging of the Miss Universe pageant gave Metro Manila the chance to remind people all over the globe that it is a thriving city with much to offer. And we at the DOT provided you with a platform to reintroduce the cities,” Teo added.
She, likewise, shared the DOT’s continuing rehabilitation of Intramuros, a “place where we are exerting the most effort to ensure that its history is preserved.”
The DOT head observed that Manila has a great potential to survive despite its progress and challenges, because it has retained its old-world charm. “And if we can restore its architectural landmarks, it can continue to be the regal queen of the country,” she stressed.
During the two-day forum, former Tourism Secretary Mina Gabor, now with the Automobile Association Philippines Travel, enjoined all tourism stakeholders to “put Metro Manila on the list of the next top 20 destinations in the world.”
For his part, Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista underscored the “importance of tourism on the economic life of our country’s cities now that travel has become much easier and cheaper. Almost everyone now can be a tourist.”
Teo assured tourism stakeholders the DOT will remain at the forefront of advancing the country’s tourism agenda. “Beautiful destinations are not accidents; they are the results of deliberate, thoughtful planning, careful execution and much passion,” she said.
Image credits: Photo courtesy of D.O.T.