Restive Taal has minimal effect on city’s tourism

By Emme Rose Santiagudo

The eruption of Taal Volcano since Sunday had minimal effect on the accommodation and hospitality industry of Iloilo City as only a handful of guests from Luzon canceled their hotel bookings.

The hotel cancellations were mainly because of stalled flights at the Iloilo International Airport and Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), according to Iloilo Hotel Restaurants & Resorts Association (IHRRA).

The minimal hotel cancellations will not disrupt the hotel industry, IHRRA spokesperson Happy Abenir said Friday.

“So far the cancellations, indi pa siya ganon karami, it’s very, very minimal and would total to less than 20. The cancellations are usually concentrated due to the canceled flights. We are not as affected as our counterparts compared from Tagaytay,” she said.

Abenir said several guests also asked about possible cancellations of their bookings and reservations for Dinagyang 2020.

“If you compare to a few days ago, may inquiries on bookings and reservations inquiries if they drop from the reserved bookings but wala pa siya totally canceled. During these times of festivities, we have activities like family and high school reunions.”

Despite the booking cancellations, Abenir said they still expect a lot of guests during Dinagyang Festival.

“Definitely, we are targeting a huge market, with all the marketing and promotion to promote the festival and the city. We are expecting a bigger crowd and we still have visitors from other parts of Visayas and Mindanao,” she said.

Abenir said there are still available rooms for Dinagyang guests while some hotels are already fully-booked.

“We still have available rooms considering that damo na kita mga hotels but some of our hotels are fully booked. We understand that the Taal eruption that is something beyond control, but the hotels and restaurants are making sure that visitors who arrive at Iloilo will be really comfortable and well taken care of,” she said.

Every year, Dinagyang highly benefits the accommodation and tourism industry in Iloilo City, Abenir added.

“It is a very big help not just for the hotels, but the total accommodation and tourism industry especially in the city,” she said.

IHRRA is composed of 75 members from hotels, restaurants, and resorts located in Iloilo City and its neighboring towns.

Abenir said 30 members of IHRRA will also participate in the Ilonggo Food Festival during the highlights of Dinagyang 2020 from January 23-26, 2020 at Delgado Street in City Proper.

“We would like to put our best foot forward by giving everybody the best service and mouth-watering dishes that Iloilo is known for so that when our visitors go back to their respective provinces and countries, they will bring with them beautiful memories of Iloilo and hopefully they will come back,” she noted.