The award conferred to the Iloilo Dinagyang Festival 2020 is expected to spark the interest of those who have not experienced the celebration yet.
Iloilo’s Dinagyang Festival 2020 was recognized as the grand champion in the Best Tourism Event (Festival) As Contemporary/Non-Traditional Expression category during the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines (ATOP) Pearl Award held in Tagaytay City on Thursday.
The competition was opened to festivals held from late 2019 until 2020 since there was no ATOP award for that period due to travel restrictions because of the health pandemic.
Joyce Clavecillas, executive director of the Iloilo Festivals Foundation, Inc. (IFFI), one of the organizers of the event, said they saw it fit to join the Best Tourism Event (Festival) As Contemporary/Non-Traditional Expression category because the festival is evolving.
“Actually, (the) Dinagyang Festival is already multi-faceted. We have religious, we have cultural aspect, we have the food, we have sports events embedded in the festival. That’s why we joined this category because we saw it fit,” she said in an interview on Friday.
She noted that because the Pearl Award is organized by ATOP, which is composed of tourism officers nationwide, they too could help promote the festival back in their places.
The award, she said, helps the tourism industry.
“We’re very happy that ATOP recognized the efforts of Iloilo City for Dinagyang Festival. I think the impact would be a further promotion for Iloilo City and will spark the interest, especially of those who haven’t experienced the Dinagyang Festival, to visit and experience the festival. We are hoping that it will be promoted more in the Philippines and outside the country,” she said.
The award brought the city a back-to-back win since the 2021 edition of the Dinagyang Festival was also the lone awardee as Best Tourism Practice During the Pandemic during the ATOP special edition held last year.
Iloilo’s Dinagyang Festival will resume all its street events in 2023 after these were temporarily halted for two years due to the pandemic. It will start on Jan. 13, 2023, with highlights set on January 20-22. (PNA)
