The opening on Sunday of the 14th Baguio Flower Festival (BFF) has spurred the high occupancy rates of hotels and other lodging houses in this mountain resort 250 kilometers north of Manila.

According to Gabby Keith of the city tourism office, while the percentage of actual occupancy and reservations of the more than 40,000 hotel rooms here is still being determined, “the hotel and restaurant business has again come into full swing.”

Since 1993, the month-long event has become the greatest tourism stimulus here, attracting an average of a million local and foreign visitors coming especially for the street dancing and flower floats parade — the main features of the festival.

Last Sunday, more than 3,000 students of 28 elementary and high schools in Northern Luzon took part in the field demonstrations and dancing contests. Their respective bands also participated.

It was also last Sunday when the traffic rerouting scheme was tested by the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) in anticipation of heavy vehicular flow along routes which do not lead to the central business district area where most of the festival activities are being held.

So far, Police Senior Superintendent Wilfredo Franco, director of the BCPO, said that the traffic scheme was able to maintain moderate to heavy traffic flow.

He said that aside from the traffic assistance, the policemen and other law enforcers were able to keep the opening of the month-long festival very peaceful and orderly.

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