ILOILO City – Hotel accommodations for the Dinagyang Festival 2023 are back to pre-pandemic levels.
Almost all Department of Tourism (DOT)-accredited hotels especially in the central business district (City Proper) and new business district (Mandurriao) are now fully booked for Jan. 20 to 22, said City Tourism and Development Office head Junel Divinagracia.
The Dinagyang Festival highlights – Kasadyahan and tribe competitions – are on Jan. 21 and 22.
“With the way things are going in our hotels, daw mahambal naton nga nagbalik na gid parehas sang pre-pandemic. Kay ti, sang una amo na. Nagakapuno ang aton mga hotels. Subong ‘ni, subong pa lang puno na kita,” said Divinagracia.
But she noted that Punta Villa Resort which is near Villa Beach in Arevalo District and some budget hotels in the city still have available rooms.
There are 30 to 40 DOT-accredit hotels in the city with a total of around 5,000 room accommodations.
Meanwhile, there were also guests who resorted to Air BNB or Air Bread and Breakfast services where property owners rent out their spaces to those looking for a place to stay.
Divinagracia believes this year’s face-to-face Dinagyang celebration will have a big positive impact on the city’s economy.
It will spur economic growth, benefiting various sectors including micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), she said.
“Indi lang nga isa ka aspeto ang nabuligan, indi lang sa transportation kundi pati sa food, pasalubong… kadamo sang mabenepisyohan,” said Divinagracia.
Traditional Dinagyang activities like the tribes competitions, fluvial procession, sadsad, Miss Iloilo, food festival as well as the newest Dinagyang Ilomination, among others, await locals and visitors.
“Ang city government under Mayor Jerry Treñas nagapang-agda gid to experience and celebrate the Dinagyang 2023 which is bigger and brighter… Let us support our festival kay ini nagabulig gid sa ekonomiya sang syudad,” said Divinagracia.
The city tourism officer, however, emphasized that unlike the pre-pandemic Dinagyang, the physical comeback of the celebration this time has to be accompanied by minimum public health protocols such as wearing of facemasks and hand sanitation because the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is still around.
Meanwhile, for the convenience and guidance of the guests, they can use the Digital Tourism Flipbook of Iloilo City where they can take a peek of the city, its tourism products, destinations of interest, gastronomy, culture and arts, bike culture, and many more.
The Digital Tourism Flipbook, the newest innovation of an Ilonggo creator, is aimed at promoting further the City of Love.
Through the digital flipbook, visitors or those planning to visit this southern city will have better information where to go, stay, dine, and more.
It also has a brief history of Iloilo City and some basic facts about the city. This online reading material serves its purpose in introducing the city virtually through the use of interactive animation, playable videos, QR codes, and other web-based features.
To access the flipbook, just click https://heyzine.com/flip-book/831c3b1f9c.html#page/1./PN
