Manggahan Festival a boon to Guimaras’ economy, tourism

MANILA, Philippines – The island province of Guimaras is confident this year’s Manggahan Festival – its most ambitious and colorful event held every summer – will likely surpass last year’s output in terms of sales and tourist arrivals.

Gov. Samuel Gumarin expects the festival, which will run from May 11-22, to contribute  significantly to the growth of the province’s economy and tourism.

The trade fair shall be selling various products such as its famed mango, aquaculture products, souvenir items, cut flowers and organic vegetables. 

The province of Guimaras earned P10 million in sales and attracted tourist arrivals during last year’s festival.

With tourism, fruit processing, coconut processing, fish farming, handicrafts making, mining, quarrying and lime products as its major industries, Guimaras is basically agricultural with palay, coconut, mango, vegetables, livestock, poultry and fishing as its major products. 

Its more popular export and the country’s best export quality mangoes is the province’s carabao mango variety, which is reportedly served at the White House and Buckingham Palace.

 Around 50,000 mango trees are grown on plantations spanning more than 8,000 hectares throughout the island.

Guimaras mangoes are considered one of the sweetest in the world and the only mango variety in the country certified as pest-free by the US Department of Agriculture.

Fast emerging as a top tourist destination, Guimaras offers its visitors not only excellent hotel and resort accommodations, but also an almost unspoiled, idyllic environment – white sand beaches, pristine seas, virgin forests, waterfalls, rivers, streams, springs and off shore islets.

Tour organizers and other groups are also offering various activities such as boating, bird watching, beach volleyball, trekking, wind surfing, mountain biking, rappelling, paintball and war games and island hopping.

Part of the tour also includes visits to the McArthur’s Wharf, 18th century Guisi Lighthouse, Punta Blanco Target Range, Navalas Church, Roca Encandata and the province’s latest attraction – the windmills of San Lorenzo town.

The festival is one of the most important components of the province’s marketing program not only to promote the island as the producer of the sweetest mango in the world but also to hype the province as a complete tourist destination.

First held on May 22, 1993 to commemorate the first anniversary of Guimaras as a full-pledged province, the festival is in partnership with the Provincial Planning and Development Office and the Provincial Tourism Office.