Dinagyang, Pattaraday Festivals are RP’s Hall of Fame Awardees for best tourism practices

ILOILO CITY, Oct. 7 (PNA)-–Iloilo City’s Dinagyang Festival and Santiago City of Isabela’s Pattaraday Festival were recognized as Hall of Fame awardees for best tourism practices in the Philippines under the component and chartered cities categories respectively by the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines (ATOP) during its 9th national convention that culminated here Sunday.

The annual awarding of best practices was one of the highlights of the gathering to give due recognition to festivals worthy to be emulated by other local government units in the country.

Iloilo City Tourism Officer Benito Jimena said the city would be doing everything to deserve the title.

“We cannot afford to just sit back because we have a title to defend and establish,” Jimena said.

Although the Dinagyang Festival will no longer join the search next year Jimena said they will be asking the ATOP to give the city a trophy that would really name the festival as a Hall of Fame awardee.

Jimena said the award is ‘a recognition of what a community has done to make a festival successful.

“It is not just the role of a government to come up with an activity like this but a community effort that involves the church, the civic organization, non-government organization, academe and professionals altogether working for a common goal,” he said.

Meanwhile other awardees also included the Shoe Festival of Marikina City for the Best Tourism Event, culture and arts category; 6th Mount Ugo Summer 2008 of Itogon, Benguet for adventure category; Panaad sa Negros of Negros Occidental, festival category and Kahilwayan Festival of the Municipality of Sta. Barbara, Iloilo for the municipal level.

The Negros Occidental Provincial Tourism Week was also named as the Best Tourism Event for weekly/monthly category.