THIS year’s Bangus Festival scored the highest in visitor arrivals and boosted revenues of big and small business establishments in the city.

Dagupan Vice Mayor Belen Fernandez, who chaired the executive committee for the celebration, said the business sector reported brisk sales and increased revenues for the duration of the festival period.

Most establishments cooperated and offered discounts to make the ‘Great Dagupan Day Sale’ a truly shoppers’ holiday.

Small entrepreneurs including the sidewalk vendors and jeepney drivers have also told her of higher earnings with the influx of visitors during the 19-day festivities from April 16 to May 4.

Speaking at a press conference on her birthday on Wednesday, Fernandez said the festival succeeded not only in promoting the Dagupan bangus but the city’s economic potential as a major commercial center in the region.

Noting the benefits of the festival to the city, the vice mayor said she is open to the formation of a Dagupan Festival Foundation that would institutionalize support for the city’s annual festival.

With the numerous activities, many of them never seen in previous Dagupan Bangus festivals, like the Festivals of the North, this year’s celebration stimulated wider consciousness on the economic importance of the city’s number one aquaculture product and its strategic location as a trading zone, Fernandez said.

 She said it was heart-warming to hear testimonies of both residents and visitors who spoke highly of the festival’s events that drew large crowds never seen in the past.

“The  lasting impression left  by the hugely successful  presentation of the Festivals of the North, another first in this year’s celebration, on the residents  and visitors will  likely make the event a regular fare for future Bangus Festivals,”  the vice mayor said.

The Festivals of the North featured winners of street dancing competitions in Northern Luzon and Pangasinan and competed for the opportunity to be known as the cream of the crop. 

Fernandez said not even the unexpected rains during the Festivals of the North and the Bangusan Street Party failed to dampen the revelry. 

She was profuse in thanking the volunteers and city officials, particularly the mayor and the councilors, who gave their all to ensure the success of this year’s celebration.

 Given special mention were City Engineer Virginia Rosario, the City’s Tourism Office, Nutrition Office, Health Office, Agriculture Office, Planning and Development Office, Public Order and Safety Office, the police station, Department of Education, Philippine National Red Cross and the Region 1 Medical Center.

She cited the contributions of sponsors that added pomp and color to  the Dagupan Bangus Festival.  —LM

Share your Comments or Reactions

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments