PHILIPPINE INTERNATIONAL HOT AIR BALLOON FIESTA (PIHABF) AS A FESTIVAL DESTINATION IMAGE OF ANGELES CITY

Authors

  • Jula Valencia Ong City College of Angeles, Philippines
  • Ma. Elizabeth Bumanglag City College of Angeles, Philippines
  • Uriel Ivan C. Dela Cruz City College of Angeles, Philippines
  • Marviric Figurado City College of Angeles, Philippines
  • Precious Angela Q. Morales City College of Angeles, Philippines
  • Mark Kevin Rosario City College of Angeles, Philippines

Abstract

Festivals and events are considered to be one of the fastest growing segments in the tourism industry. Countries and cities compete vigorously for mega-events such as Olympics and the World Cup. More specifically, such segments also serve as a powerful tool to attract tourists during off-season and in the creation of image and awareness of an area (Goeldner & Ritchie, 2013). In the Philippines, festivals are celebrated to boost tourism by attracting tourists. According to the Department of Tourism, one of the leading growth regions in the Philippines is Central Luzon; which features the city of Angeles – home of the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (PIHABF), the longest running sports aviation event in Asia. 

In consideration to the two-decade existence of PIHABF as an annual event in Angeles City, the study aimed at determining the association of the said event to the destination image of Angeles City. Furthermore, the study also assessed the satisfaction level of the tourists towards PIHABF. Data were gathered using an adopted tool from the study “Miri City as a Festival Destination Image in the Context of Miri Country Music Festival†by Sim et. al (2015). The tool featured a 4-point Likert scale for its rating and was divided into three parts, specifically: profile of respondents, festival destination image and festival satisfaction. Pilot and reliability tests were also done in order to ensure that the tool was effective in gathering results in a different setting. A total of 400 respondents was determined as the sample size, which was based from the 2017 visitor arrivals of PIHABF; a 5% margin of error and a 95% confidence level was considered. However, a total of 400 surveys were still used in the extraction of data for the study. Surveys were distributed to respondents composed of PIHABF 2018 attendees from February 8 – 11, 2018. 

The results revealed that the festival image of PIHABF provides a unique experience and atmosphere, there are a variety of things to see and do, various exciting entertainment opportunities are available, and the festival is an ideal destination for family and friends. In connection to this, Angeles City is also concluded to be a vacation destination because of its existing attractions and tourist facilities, including PIHABF. Generally, tourists who visited PIHABF were satisfied with the overall experience, with a strong revisit intention. In conclusion, it was determined that PIHABF indeed had a positive effect on Angeles City’s festival destination image because of the positive results of the survey.  

References

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Published

2020-08-10

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 2 (2020)

Section

Articles