Melo Villareal
Dinagyang Festival 2009 is more than just fun and excitement; it will also be the window of Ilonggo hospitality. As the festival rolls ‘on a higher ground’ so is the level of accommodation extended to visitors who cannot find lodgings in hotels, hostels and pension houses, which usually become fully booked during the festival.
Starting next year, Ilonggos will open their homes to visitors who want to savor the feeling of being at home although they are away from their families through the ‘home stay program.’ Dinagyang Festival Marketing Group head said that based on experience six months before the staging of the festival, almost all hotels in the city are already booked for the three-day highlights.
The idea of home stay was already proposed years back when Iloilo City experienced unprecedented surge in the number of visitors and they had to remedy the problem by bringing some of the guests to out-of-town resorts.
Two years ago, several dignitaries were accommodated by city officials right in their own houses and the feedback was positive. Iloilo Hotels, Restaurants and Resorts Association (IHRRA) said the home stay program would give visitors a chance to win more friends.
In January this year, the number of spectators was pegged at about three million and it is projected that the figure will increase by about 10 percent.
If you are interested to avail of the ‘home stay program’, you can coordinate with the Iloilo Dinagyang Festival Inc. (IDFI) or visit its official website www.dinagyangsailoilo.com for further details.
