Niyogyugan festival promotes Quezon’s coco products

MANILA, Philippines -  The province of Quezon is optimistic the annual celebration of the Niyogyugan festival would boost the province’s coconut industry.

Acting head of the Quezon Tourism Office Alberto Bay Jr. told The STAR the Niyogyugan festival allows the municipalities of Quezon to promote and get feedback on the coconut-based products they offer.

The Niyogyugan festival is an annual celebration where participating municipalities from Quezon province showcase their talent, creativity through various competitions.

Part of the two-week festival is the trade booth exhibit, where municipalities sell their coconut-based products.

Bay said the number of participants for the trade booth exhibit have been growing in the recent years, with 41 booths registered for this year’s celebration.

In 2016, a total of 39 municipalities participated in the trade booth exhibition, which earned P13.19 million in sales.

Apart from the sale of local products, Bay said the Niyogyugan festival is also creating income for nearby hotels, driven by the number of tourists flocking into the province to attend the celebration.

Moreover, the tourism official emphasized that majority of the tourists attending the festival are domestic, particularly from other areas in the CALABARZON region.

As of Aug. 22, approximately 308,828 tourists have arrived in Quezon province for the Niyogyugan festival, according to the local tourism office.

Last year, a total of 633,067 tourists participated in the said festival.

The Niyogyugan festival was launched in 2012 in a bid to revive the coconut industry of Quezon province.