TACLOBAN CITY- Once again, the booth of Tacloban City was adjudged as the best in this year’s Philippine Travel Mart.
City Mayor Alfred Romualdez congratulated and thanked the team responsible behind the award-winning booth of the city through its City Tourism Office.
“Congratulations and thank you city team for the job well done”, the city chief executive said.
With this latest victory of the Tacloban City, the city was elevated into hall of fame as it won for three consecutive years.
During the August 30 to September 1 event held at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, the Tacloban city booth was also adjudged as the people’s choice winner.
Tourism officer Bardot Atillo said that the city booth, mainly designed by Daniel Guarino with the help of his team, depicted the four elements of earth, air, fire and water.
Highlighted by the remnants of the strongest typhoon to hit inland, super typhoon ‘Yolanda,’ the booth showed the M/V Eva Jocelyn shipwreck at Anibong; the Monumental Flame located at the Astrodome where the names of the more than 2,200 people who perished during the deadly calamity are written, and the mass burial site located at the Holy Cross cemetery where those who died were buried.
The booth also showcased the destination assets of the city like the Sto. Niño Church; Sto. Niño Shrine; and the iconic San Juanico Bridge which connects the islands of Leyte and Samar inaugurated by then Pres. Ferdinand Marcos in 1974.
The booth also displayed and offered food tasting of Tacloban’s best foods, delicacies and local wine like lechon, tuba, moron, binagol, sagmani, pastillas, and cookies, among others.
The Tacloban booth also showed the city’s annual Sangyaw Parade of Lights which is being held a day before the city fiesta celebration on June 30.
The annual event, now on its 30th year, is sponsored by the Philippine Tour Operators Association which aims to promote and develop domestic and inbound tourism. (GAY B. GASPAY, TISAT)
