BACOLOD CITY -- The Provincial Board of Negros Occidental approved Wednesday the granting of a PHP1-million assistance to the Association of Negros Producers for the staging of the 32nd Negros Trade Fair at the Glorietta Activity Center in Makati City on Sept. 27- October 1.
Fourth District Board Member Victor Javellana, who proposed the resolution, said the annual trade fair is beneficial to local producers, who will showcase the best of Negros through their products.
The five-day event is themed “Food for Thought”, with the tagline “Feast your Eyes, Fill your Heart, and Feed your Soul”.
It is expected to gather at least 80 Negrense entrepreneurs who will offer “better and more innovative products”.
The event is also seen to boost the tourism industry of Negros Occidental, according to the Department of Tourism (DOT).
Artemio Ticar, DOT-Western Visayas designated tourism area development head for Negros Occidental, said the trade fair is a platform to showcase the province as one of the country’s top tourism destinations.
Food products offered by Negrense enterprises promote the province’s rich culinary tourism, he added.
Also available during the fair are gifts, decor and homestyle, fashion and garments, furniture and furnishings, natural and organic sectors, which are part of the components of tourism packages offered by Negros Occidental, Ticar said.
“With thousands visiting the Negros Trade Fair, it is a potential venue to showcase and promote our vast tourism offerings,” the DOT official said.
According to a latest survey of the DOT and the Philippine Statistics Authority, Negros Occidental is the second most visited place in the country by domestic travelers.
In 2016, Negros Occidental placed second in terms of number of tourist arrivals in Western Visayas, with 1.65 million visitors last year.
The province is one of the preferred familiarization and post-event tour destinations in Western Visayas, along with Iloilo. (PNA)
