25 countries to join 14th Clark Hot-Air Balloon Fiesta
Written by Administrator Saturday, 17 January 2009 01:14
CLARK FREE PORT—Hot-air balloonists from at least 25 countries are expected to fill the skies of Pampanga with a barrage of color as they participate in the 14th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta to be held at the Philippine Air Force Ramp in this free port from February 12 to 15.
At the same time, the Department of Tourism-Region III (DOT-III) will roll out the red carpet for couples and sweethearts as the most colorful event of the year falls on the day of the hearts, Valentine’s Day.
Clark Development Corp. (CDC) tourism and promotions manager Noemi Garcia said the CDC and the Hot-Air Balloon Club of the Philippines signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on November 12 for the staging of the event. The MOA was signed by CDC president Benigno Ricafort and Hot-Air Balloon Club of the Philippines president Joi Roa.
Garcia said the event is a definite crowd-drawer and they expect more than 100,000 spectators to attend the four-day event.
Last year, 19 balloons were flown over Pampanga by foreign pilots from 13 countries that include Sweden, the United States, Hungary, Thailand, Malaysia, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Finland, Japan, Switzerland, England, South Korea and the Philippines.
“This early we are already drawing up plans to make the next month’s hot-air balloon fiesta bigger and more spectacular as part of the CDC’s bid to make Clark a tourist haven north of Manila,” Garcia said.
At the same time, DOT-III Regional Director Ronaldo Tiotuico said they will welcome couples and sweethearts as the 14th Philippine International Hot-Air Balloon Festival covers February 14, Valentine’s Day.
Tiotuico said preparations are under way to greet the day of hearts with surprises like offering roses or candy and heart-shaped cakes for the first 100 couples that visit the DOT booth.
He added that games and a Valentine-related quiz bee will be held with prizes to be given away to participating couples. Special prizes will be given to couples who wear or bring something that comes close to celebrating Valentine’s Day.
The ballooning event is hosted by CDC, the Clark International Airport Corp., the Philippine Air Force and a host of private sponsors that include UPS, Cirrus and ABS-CBN, among others.
Tiotuico said at least seven especially shaped balloons will be joining this year’s four-day aero-sporting event.
The event was first organized by the DOT in 1994 in the hope of uplifting the spirits of the Capampangan people following the eruption of Mount Pinatubo. It was then handled by Tiotuico as event organizer with the help of Sung Kee Paik, a Korean national, and John Emery of British Airways.
Since then, the ballooning event has never failed to attract thousands of spectators from as far as Laguna and Baguio.
The Philippine International Hot-Air Balloon Fiesta in Clark has since also been officially recorded as one of the scheduled ballooning events in the world, competing in media exposure and attention with that of Saga, Japan, and Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the US.
