ILOILO CITY — Japanese visitors on board the cruise ship, MV Pacific Venus of Japan, will not just get awed by presentations during the Dinagyang Festival but will also get a chance to tour various destinations in the city and the province of Iloilo.
City Tourism Operations Officer Florence King H. Erlano, in an interview Wednesday, said the cruise ship, carrying some 750 tourists, and crew will dock at the Iloilo International Container Port on January 26.
They will then be shuttled to the Grandstand to witness the Kasadyahan regional cultural competition. “There are initial plans that they will have a tour after the Dinagyang performance,” he said.
Due to security reasons, he did not disclose the exact itinerary of the guests. However, he said they will be touring destinations in the southern and central portions of Iloilo and Guimaras, and do shopping in the city. “They will just be here overnight,” he added.
Erlano said that this is not the first time for Iloilo City to host a cruise ship visit.
Meanwhile on Friday, Iloilo City will be seeing and hearing drumbeats when eight tribes perform for the Dinagyang Festival opening salvo at 3 p.m.
In the morning, the new PHP45 million grandstand will be inaugurated to give way to the opening salvo in the afternoon.
At 10 a.m., the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Authority (TIEZA) will turn over to the city government the newly rehabilitated Sunburst Park, situated right in front of the Iloilo Customs House.
The Sunburst Park was named in honor of the United States Army 40th Infantry “Sunburst” Division that helped liberate Panay from the Japanese forces.
