By Liza Agoot – PNA
BAGUIO CITY– The occupancy rate of hotels here has reached 98 percent during the Yuletide season, according to the Hotel and Restaurants Association of Baguio (HRAB).
“Right now, we are enjoying about 98 to 99 percent occupancy. Some hotels are starting to fill up also. Even transient housing are enjoying good business,” Andrew Pinero, HRAB spokesperson and Baguio Country Club client and public relations manager, told Philippine News Agency (PNA) in an exclusive interview on Tuesday.
Pinero pointed out the high occupancy rate of the over 200 members of the HRAB, aside from other accommodation establishments.
“Right now, we are enjoying about 98 to 99 percent occupancy. Some hotels are starting to fill up also. Even transient housing are enjoying a good business,” Pinero added.
He said the uptrend was noted in the last quarter of the year.
“We have high occupancy starting October,” Pinero said.
December in Baguio is a peak tourism season with people from the lowlands coming to the city to experience the dip in temperature.
According to the tourist statistics report of the City Tourism and Special Events Office, the city posted the highest number of tourist arrivals during December.
In 2015, there were a total of 122,709 tourists in December while 86,965 in November; 118,501 in May; 122,447 in April; 97,190 in March and 106,373 in February.
The gap widened in 2016 where there were a total of 172,303 tourist arrival recorded in December; 119,060 in November; 129,121 in April; 111,678 in March, and 104,568 in February which happens to be Panagbenga festival.
In 2017, there were 198,599 in December; 147,464 in November; 144,447 in April; 111,362 in March and 129,572 in February.
According to the 2017 report, the city chalked up a 17.52 percent increase in tourist arrivals in 2017 with a total of 1,521,748 as against the 2016 figure of 1,294,906.
“Baguio during this season (Yuletide season) is a favorite destination because they want to experience the cold weather that we are having right now,” Pinero said.
He added that “tourists enjoy the bonfire, grilling their food, enjoying the cold weather, that’s an experience already for them.”
The holiday season in Baguio is continuing up to Panagbenga and until the summer season, “that’s really the peak for the city of Baguio,” he added.
