During the recent long weekend, observed many local Negrenses taking the drive down to Dumaguete City and Negros Oriental. While Bacolod City and Negros Occidental is not far different from other cities and provinces in the country, what exactly does Dumaguete City have that Bacolod City does not possess?
Through my own experience, Dumaguete City is popular because of Rizal Boulevard, which leads travelers in and out of the city. On the drive, all one sees is the sea and ferryboats. The boulevard itself is an attraction.
When traveling to Cebu, one is greeted by the heavy traffic of Cebu City and Mandaue City. Following that initial welcome, many may be continuing their journey south towards Simala, east towards Busay, or west towards the beaches of Mactan Island and Lapu-Lapu City.
There is also the option of a two-hour ferry ride from Cebu to Tagbilaran, Bohol, where one can visit Panglao Island and the Chocolate Hills and experience a Loboc River cruise and tarsier hunting.
In Bacolod City and Negros Occidental, there are destinations like the Ruins, the Campuestohan Highland Resort, the Mambukal Resort, the beaches of Sipalay City, the old houses of Silay City, and more. One such attraction that is often overlooked is the Victorias Milling Company in Victorias City, the largest sugar refinery in the world. Why is this not a stop on local tours? Then again, we also rarely see tour vans or buses moving about the province.
There is more that needs to be done in terms of promoting local tourism.
The MassKara and Bacolaodiat Festivals are already established attractions; however, they need variations every year.
Also, with Bacolod City and Davao City now linked, there is not in terms of pushing Bacolod City upon Davaoeños. The same is true with direct flights to Cagayan de Oro.
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My friend Fannie Galang of Thai Airways recently announced her airline reached a milestone, winning three prestigious awards at the Skytrax 2017 World Airline Awards.
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Can you imagine Negros without the operation of the Ceres Bus group? We need to be thankful to the Yanson clan for upgrading bus facilities nationwide.
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This column greets Paolo Araneta, Ariston Minez, Jr., Neph Grandea, May Castro, Hubert Javelona, Pike Santander, Bongbong Villan, Remi Suatengco, Uly Primacio, Alex Roleda, and Ben Yapjoco./WDJ