I have always believed that Bacolod has much more to offer travelers than what we normally put on the itinerary.
Yes, there is the food.
Yes, there is MassKara.
Yes, there is the famous Bacolod smile.
But there is also creativity—and I think this could become one of the city’s most exciting tourism stories yet.
I witnessed this firsthand when I attended the launching of Creative Bacolod: Smile, Create, Explore and the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement with Robinsons Land Corporation at the New Government Center (NGC).
The event brought together government officials, private-sector partners, creative industry players, businesses and other stakeholders.
And as a travel blogger, I left the event genuinely excited about what this could mean for people who travel to Bacolod.
One name that deserves particular attention in this story is Dr. Frances Mae Llamas, head of the city’s Department of Local Economic Development and Investment Promotions (D-LEDIP).
D-LEDIP has been steadily building programs around investment, entrepreneurship, innovation and the creative economy. Its work has included initiatives supporting Bacolod’s creative sector, including the Bacolod Film Festival and the G-Hive creative hub. Bacolod City Government
In fact, D-LEDIP’s creative-industry work has been moving in an interesting direction—from developing filmmakers and artists to creating spaces where creatives and MSMEs can actually turn ideas into products and businesses.
The G-Hive, for example, was created as a creative and innovation hub with facilities for digital artists, filmmakers, designers, MSMEs and other creatives. D-LEDIP has described it as a platform connecting local creativity with technology, innovation and global markets. Philippine Information Agency
And now, that creative-economy thinking is finding its way into tourism.
That is where Creative Bacolod becomes particularly exciting.
The official concept is Creative Bacolod: Smile, Create, Explore.
For me, those three words say a lot.
Because the future of travel is not simply about checking destinations off a list.
Travelers increasingly want to experience a place.
They want stories.
They want food with a story.
They want to meet local artists.
They want to discover hidden creative spaces.
They want to buy something made by someone from the place they visited.
They want experiences they cannot simply replicate somewhere else.
And Bacolod has all of these ingredients.
We sometimes forget how much creative talent exists in this city.
Bacolod has filmmakers, visual artists, musicians, performers, designers, writers, artisans, digital creators, culinary entrepreneurs and creative MSMEs.
The city has already strengthened its film sector through the Bacolod Film Festival, while its creative-industry programs continue to develop local talent. D-LEDIP’s filmmaking workshops, for example, have brought together young creatives and filmmakers as part of the city’s efforts to develop a stronger film ecosystem. Bacolod City Government
The city’s creative sectors also extend into visual arts, performing arts, design, digital media, publishing, cultural expressions and gastronomy. Creative Bacolod Oct 8 Press Br…
Imagine putting all of that into a tourism experience.
That’s the exciting part.
The newly established Creative Bacolod Tourism Circuit seeks to connect these creative and cultural assets into a more unified visitor experience.
Instead of asking tourists to simply visit attractions, imagine giving them a reason to discover the people behind the attractions.
A traveler could:
watch a local film,
visit an art space,
meet a local designer,
shop for a homegrown product,
taste Bacolod food,
experience a cultural performance,
and then discover another creative neighborhood or destination.
That is no longer ordinary sightseeing.
That is creative tourism.
From a tourism perspective, I see one major opportunity here:
Think about it.
A visitor who comes to Bacolod primarily for MassKara might normally have a fairly predictable itinerary.
But what if the city offers an entire network of creative experiences around the festival?
What if a visitor discovers something interesting and says:
“I want to come back to Bacolod for that.”
That’s how destinations build repeat visitors.
And repeat visitors are important to the tourism economy.
They stay in hotels.
They eat in restaurants.
They take transportation.
They shop.
They visit attractions.
They buy local products.
They spend money with MSMEs.
Creative tourism therefore has the potential to make tourism spending reach more people and more businesses.
Another major personality and institution in this story is Maria Socorro Isabelle V. Aragon-Gobio, President and CEO of Robinsons Land Corporation, which formally entered into a partnership with the Bacolod City Government.
The MOA was forged under Mayor Greg G. Gasataya, with Aragon-Gobio representing RLC. Creative Bacolod Oct 8 Press Br…
And this is where the private sector becomes an important part of the tourism story.
Under the partnership, properties such as Robinsons Place Bacolod and Go Hotels Plus Bacolod, subject to operational requirements and approvals, can serve as visitor touchpoints, venues and promotional platforms for the circuit.
The partnership also includes support for placemaking, tourism markers, wayfinding signs and archways, while RLC spaces may be used for exhibitions, creative markets, film screenings and heritage displays. Creative Bacolod Oct 8 Press Br… Creative Bacolod Oct 8 Press Br…
For travelers, these details may sound technical.
But they matter.
A good tourism circuit needs places to start, places to discover and ways to find your way around.
Another thing I found interesting during the launch was the emphasis on Bayanihan in Bacolod.
Creative tourism cannot be built by City Hall alone.
It needs the artists.
The entrepreneurs.
The hotels.
The restaurants.
The malls.
The schools.
The communities.
The tourism workers.
The private sector.
And the travelers themselves.
The Creative Bacolod initiative is designed around this collaborative approach, including capacity-building programs for creatives, entrepreneurs, transport workers and tourism frontliners. Creative Bacolod Oct 8 Press Br…
That makes the project bigger than a tourism campaign.
It is an ecosystem-building exercise.
And this is perhaps the most important tourism question:
What happens after MassKara?
MassKara remains Bacolod’s biggest tourism magnet, but a truly vibrant destination cannot depend on one festival.
Creative tourism could help give travelers more reasons to visit throughout the year.
Come for MassKara.
Come back for the food.
Return for the film festival.
Discover the artists.
Explore the creative spaces.
Attend a workshop.
Shop local.
Experience something new.
That is how a city becomes more than a one-time destination.
As I watched the stakeholders and partners come together at the NGC, I couldn’t help but think that something bigger was being put into motion.
Bacolod has always had the talent.
What has been missing is a stronger way to connect that talent to tourism, markets and visitors.
D-LEDIP’s continuing creative-industry work under Dr. Mae Llamas—from film development to G-Hive and now creative tourism—shows a broader direction toward making creativity part of Bacolod’s economic development story. Bacolod City Government
And with the participation of Mayor Greg Gasataya, Robinsons Land, creative stakeholders, businesses and community partners, Creative Bacolod now has another important piece: a tourism platform.
For me, this is what makes the initiative so exciting.
Because the next time you travel to Bacolod, perhaps the question shouldn’t only be:
“Where should I eat?”
Maybe we should also ask:
“What can I discover here?”
“Who created it?”
“What story does it tell?”
And most importantly:
I have a feeling that the answer is going to give us many more reasons to keep coming back to the City of Smiles.
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