By Liza Agoot
Baguio City—In a bid to welcome newcomers to the area, seven lucky bus passengers, who are experiencing Baguio City for the first time, will be chosen this Thursday to enjoy a three-day getaway in both Baguio and Benguet. This initiative, dubbed the 2024 Lucky Summer Visitors (LSV) search, is spearheaded by local media practitioners.
Thom Picaña, President of the Baguio Correspondents and Broadcasters Club (BCBC), announced the plans on Wednesday, detailing that the search will take place in Pugo, La Union. They will intercept public utility buses heading to Baguio on Thursday morning.
To qualify, passengers must not only be first-time visitors to Baguio and Benguet but also have active social media accounts such as Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram.
The LSV was crafted by media veterans to help promote Baguio City, the country’s undisputed Summer Capital, as well as its nearby towns as prime tourist destinations, especially during the summer season.
“The primary purpose of the search when it was conceptualized more than five decades ago is to help the local tourism industry. We will continue to do that as a commitment of the group to Baguio and Benguet,” Picaña, the publisher and editor of the local weekly newspaper Amianan Balita Ngayon (ABN),” said.
The BCBC is the longest-standing media club in the North, being founded in the mid-1960s. It has partnered with the city government of Baguio, the province of Benguet, the municipality of Pugo, and the Department of Tourism for the annual summer event which kicked off on March 25 and will culminate on March 31 for a grand send-off.
Highlights of the LSV tour include a visit to the prime tourist destinations in Baguio and Benguet including courtesy calls to officials of Baguio City, La Trinidad, and Benguet; strawberry picking; and exclusive tours in Polig Farm, Stone Kingdom, and Tam Awan Village for a sketching session with artists.
Picaña said the private sector is also pitching in for the project, with Hotel Supreme as the official residence of the LSV.
Meanwhile, the BCBC is hosting a “media camp” this week for journalists, students and information officers highlighted by lectures, workshops and exchanges. (PNA)
