Influx of travellers to Baguio in the Northern Philippines continues well into January 2025

Officials in the northern Philippine city of Baguio report that both tourism and hospitality remain robust at the start of 2025.

This was recently proven by high hotel occupancy rates that have surged to a high of 85 percent at the beginning of the year, driven by both the Holiday Season and the upcoming Panagbenga Flower Festival.

According to Hotel and Restaurant Association of Baguio (HRAB) spokesperson Andrew Pinero, tourists have not stopped coming in since mid-December, adding that HRAB members reported up to 95 percent occupancy rate from the first week of December 2024 until the end of the year. 

Pinero said: “Our benchmark there is not just the member accommodation establishments, but also the transient houses in neighbouring villages.”

Close to a million

Baguio City tourism officer Aloysius Mapalo declared that the city had a good number of visitors during the holidays.

He said the peak was observed during the last two weekends of the year, at almost a million for the entire period.

Mapalo added that, initially, officials estimated that around 10,000 people would join the New Year countdown at the city’s Melvin Jones Grandstand.

He said: “We have definitely achieved what we were expecting: the influx of visitors, with the interest of outsiders coming into Baguio. The fact that Baguio is a top choice as a holiday destination was affirmed during the holidays.”

Mapalo also discounted claims that outsiders dominated the city during peak tourist seasons and that locals were sidelined and asked to stay home to alleviate traffic congestion.