BAGUIO CITY – – The festival season is on in the Cordillera and the Department of Tourism invites tourists, local and foreigners alike, to come visit and discover new experiences and adventures in the region.
DOT – CAR OIC Regional Director Jovita Ganongan led other partners in promoting the festivals in Cordillera this first quarter of 2019 in a recent kapihan
Baguio City’ Panagbenga Festival opened February and the six-week festivities will be highlighted by the much awaited Grand Street Dancing and Grand Float parades on March 2 and 3, respectively.
In nearby La Trinidad, the second Coffee Festival of the capital town will be held from February 7 to 10. Aside from a coffee conference for stakeholders, the event will feature coffee farm and facility tours. There will also be unlimited free taste of coffee at the municipal park for patrons; they just have to bring their own coffee cups or mugs.
Soon after the Coffee Festival and Panabenga is La Trinidad’s month long “Strawberry Festival” starting March 10. For this year, the Largest Strawberry Shortcake will be featured.
Three festivals are also scheduled in Mountain Province in March. The municipality of Tadian celebrates Ayyoweng Di Lambak Ed Tadian first week of March, the “Begnas ti Bauko” of the municipality of Buko is set on March 14 – 19 and the Gaggayam Festival in the town of Sabangan is scheduled for March 27 – 30.
For sports enthusiasts, the King of the Mountain Trail Run and the Pilipinas Akyathlon 2019 are set in the mountains of Benguet this first quarter.
The King of the Mountain Trail Run will have its Mt. Ugo leg on February 16 with the Old Spanish Trail 50K and Four Lakes 100K mountain trail runs. The Pilipinas Akyathlon Skyrunning will happen at the mountains of barangay Tinongdan in Itogon and will have the 49Km SkyMarathon, 25Km Mountain Run, 10Km Trail Run, Vertical Kilometer race and rhw Kidde Akyathlon.
Ganongan affirmed that Cordillera with Baguio City as the main hub, has always been among the top destinations in the country. In 2017, it was visited by almost 2 million local and foreign tourists.
The Cordillera, she said, has big potential, which is why DOT, in partnership with the different local government units and other stakeholders, is continuously working on capacity building activities and crafting of other tourism plans such as linking flowers and vegetables farms into the tourism circuit of the region.
In its goal to disburse tourism arrivals in the other parts of the region, DOT–CAR recently launched the region’s new tourism tagline, “Find Yourself in the Cordilleras.”
Come and visit Cordillera and discover new stories, memories and experiences with its unique topography, diverse culture and hospitable people, Ganongan invites. **JDP/CCD-PIA CAR
