MANILA, Philippines -- Tourism-dependent Puerto Galera is expected to attract 3,000 foreign tourists and cash in some P20 million during the three-day 2nd Malasimbo Music & Arts Festival in March.

Hubert d’Aboville, president of the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, said the second staging of the festival is another major boost to the public-private campaign to increase tourist arrivals in the country.

“The festival is one of the ways we are lining Puerto Galera as a prime tourist destination in the country.  The festival itself has the potential to become the biggest of its kind in Asia,” d’Aboville said.
The event is being supported by the Department of Tourism and National Commission for Culture and the Arts.

Last year, Puerto Galera attracted 250,000 tourists, mostly Filipinos and less than 1% of the 3.92 million foreign tourists that came to the country.

The three-day festival, which will open on March 2, will be staged at the property owned by d’Aboville that features a grass-terraced amphitheater 250 meters above- sea level and presents a good view of the Puerto Galera Bay.

According to d’Aboville, they expect a strong number of tourists from Europe, the United States, Australia, Japan and Korea to troop to the festival.  He added that they see Filipinos spending the initial days of summer in Malasimbo.

“The festival will tremendously improve economic activity in Puerto Galera which is heavily dependent on tourism,” d’Aboville said.

The festival will feature round-the-clock performances from 300 bands and artists from the Philippines, the United States, France, Germany, Australia, the United Kingdom and Japan.