Obvious (and the Not- So Obvious) Reasons Why People Come to Baguio

Obvious (and the Not- So Obvious) Reasons Why People Come to Baguio
by: Christian Aligo

When you ask your friends who have not yet stepped on Baguio soil about their ideas about the city, you will probably get answers that prove the popularity of the city in the tourism industry.

In fact, an average of 100,000 tourists comes to Baguio weekly after the Panagbenga Festival in February. During special events like Chinese New Year, tourist arrival may range from 500,000 to 1,000,000.

Why do people love coming to Baguio City? Let us start with the obvious (if not boring) reasons that you know for sure.

1.    Baguio City is a perfect retirement haven. When you go to SM City Baguio, you will find senior citizens from the lowlands shopping. They love it here because there are health institutions within and near shopping malls. They love the cool climate and the fine dining restaurants that give them a perfect combination for a retirement settlement.

2.    In Baguio City, you can launch your career! It provides a wide range of career opportunities in the fields of real estate, English as A Second Language (ESL) and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO). In short, there is “bread and butter” in Baguio!

3.    Because education is the key to succeed, Baguio City is here to offer success. Tertiary education at an affordable price is at hand in the City of Pines. Top schools found in the city’s central district include Saint Louis University, University of Baguio and the University of the Cordilleras. Agricultural school Benguet State University is just half an hour drive away from the metro center.

However, there are other not-so-obvious reasons why people do not miss putting Baguio on their bucket list.

1.    Baguio City is for religious people. People who have special wishes come up to Baguio to offer their time and devotion to God. They climb the Lourdes Grotto Hill, spend a minute offering prayer at the Baguio City Cathedral and end the day by visiting the Pink Sisters Convent.

2.    There are places in Baguio City that are a good venue for ghost hunting activities. Paranormal stories of tourists and locals involving corners of Camp John Hay and the ever creepy Diplomat Hotel are always the star of conversations during All Saints’ feast. History has it that Baguio was once a center for American soldiers, bombed during the World War 2, devastated by an earthquake in 1990. Are those major events justifying the idea that there are ghosts in the city?

3.    If you want an original Chanel bag or a pair of original Levis pants, all you need to do is to pack a bag of patience and go to ukay-ukay shops in city. A daily Night Market along the Harrison Road near Lower Session starts at nine in the evening where you get to pick a long line of vendors selling second hand yet original brands from abroad.

Thus when you ask your friends about their ideas about Baguio and they mentioned about the latter not-so obvious reasons, acknowledge them for they must have used Google Search very effectively.