Survey shows tourists speak well of Ilonggo hospitality
Iloilo City and the island-province of Guimaras continue to reap impressive reactions from foreign as well as local tourists. The city is associated with good food, lovely people and Dinagyang festival and Guimaras with mangoes and beautiful beach resorts.
A recent survey conducted by the Asia Pacific Projects Inc. (APPI) showed that aside from food, tourists also looked forward on Ilonggo hospitality which they described as "malambing", sweet loving and friendly. The survey was administered in August 2007 to departing visitors at the Iloilo airport and seaport.
The APPI was commissioned by the Australian Aid (AusAid) under the Local Governance Development Programme (LGDP). The survey was conducted in preparation for the Metro-Iloilo Guimaras Integrated Tourism Strategy and Action Plan (MIG-01).
The APPI survey focused on information about tourist profiles and behaviors which are vital factors in tourism planning and development. The profile of the tourists is changing fast and tourism industry players need to move fast to reinvent reasons for people to visit each tourist destination.
The APPI report did not identify the nationality of the foreigners that visited Iloilo and Guimaras. The same APPI report released by Jose Roni Peñalosa, executive director of the Metro Iloilo Guimaras Economic Development Council (MIGEDC), did not provide details on what Ilonggo delicacies and beaches in Guimaras the foreign and local tourists preferred.
The same report only indicated that 59 or 20.5 percent of the respondents were foreign citizens. Of the 59 respondents, 15 are expatriates based in the Philippines. The respondents were either visiting on holiday or to visit friends and relatives. The report also said dining in local restaurants and sight seeing were the most popular activities among the tourists. The report did not deal on the infrastructure and hotel amenities.
The APPI said the survey results suggest that Iloilo does play an important role as a gateway to other parts of Western Visayas. However, the results should not be considered as representative of the year-round picture of tourism for Metro Iloilo and Guimaras.