This year’s Philippine University Games (Unigames) will be held in tandem with the Buglasan Festival of Negros Oriental as slated on October 24-30 hosted once again by Foundation University.

Unigames President, Roger Banzuela said some 4,000 athlete-participants representing 67 schools and universities from various parts of the country are expected to compete in the in the 13th Unigames in Dumaguete City.

The colorful spectacle of Oriental Negros’ unique BUGLASAN festival of festivals will also be held back in October with an opening of the different local government units and corporate booths along with an array of mini restaurants. The festival will also display a showdown and street dancing, lutong garbo, rand fireworks, dance and singing competition among others.

The organizers are expecting the participating schools to join the 12 events and another one event added which they would like to concentrate on marathon to train and prepare for the next Olympics and achieve for gold medals.

Unigames Chairman, Dean Sinco of Foundation University

With a huge number of visitors for this activity, Banzuela said sports tourism and local livelihood are foreseen to boost with an expected budget of P3.2Million for this event.

While some tourists who flocked to this country’s prime tourist destination – Boracay Island, numbered 400,037 from January to July of this year, according to the records of the Provincial Tourism Office (PTO) here.

Records of the PTO also revealed that the arrivals generated a total of P7,354,040,185.80 in tourism receipts.

For the period January to July of this year, foreign tourists totaled 111,736 while domestic tourists were counted at 246,378. Overseas Filipinos, who also visited the island during the same period numbered 41,923.

Foreign tourist arrivals for the period registered highest during the month of February while domestic tourists had the highest number with 66,846 in the month of April. Overseas Filipinos flocked to the island with the highest number in February.

Tourist arrivals this year for the period January to July is higher when compared with PTO records last year, which was listed at 387,288. Last year’s total number in tourist arrivals was at P596,748 which generated a total of P10,970,257,183.20 tourism receipts.

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