ILOILO CITY — On May 24, 2026, a global travel publication did something that local tourism officials had spent years engineering. Travel And Tour World—a respected industry outlet read by travel professionals worldwide—published "The Ultimate Iloilo City Palengke Tour Guide," a comprehensive feature that positions the city's two redeveloped public markets as must‑visit food and heritage hubs. The article traces how the Iloilo Central Market and Iloilo Terminal Market have been transformed from neglected, century‑old trading posts into gleaming, multi‑storey destinations that now anchor the city's official tourism package.
The Travel And Tour World feature is not a casual blog post. It is a professionally reported guide that details the architectural preservation embedded in the P3‑billion public‑private partnership with SM Prime Holdings, the Art Deco façade meticulously reconstructed at the Central Market, and the spatial innovations that have turned the 114‑year‑old Tienda Mayor into what the publication calls "the new face of fresh, modernised urban heritage." Eight months after the reopening, the feature confirms what vendors have been saying: the markets are now "swamped" daily with local, national, and foreign tourists drawn by a unique mall‑and‑market combination that exists nowhere else in the Philippines.
From Batchoy Tourism to a Full‑Spectrum Visitor Experience
Before the redevelopment, the palengke tour meant one thing: eating batchoy and halo‑halo. Travel And Tour World notes that visitors from distant regions consistently flocked to both markets primarily for the legendary Ilonggo noodle soup and shaved‑ice dessert. The food remains celebrated, but the scope has widened dramatically. The feature documents how the redeveloped sites now offer multifaceted cultural, architectural, and lifestyle experiences. Visitors encounter a 1930s Art Deco façade at the Central Market, daily busking performances, organized vendor sections, wide walkways, and a seamless integration with SM‑branded retail components—all while the Local Economic Enterprise Office ensures that original micro‑entrepreneurs continue operating at accessible rental rates.
The publication highlighted the structural design and zoning improvements that have redefined the customer journey. Logistics are streamlined through dedicated Receiving and Dispatching Units, modern baggage counters, and well‑ventilated wet and dry sections. For tourists who previously endured cramped, unsanitary conditions, the transformation is visceral. Mayor Treñas‑Chu captured the shift: "It was never expected how these two public markets of ours that were once ridiculed for being filthy and dilapidated are now turning into the city's major tourist destinations." The city has hired an event coordinator to program busking and activities, deliberately engineering both markets as family‑oriented destinations.
A Benchmarking Capital Emerges
The Travel And Tour World feature is the latest validation of a market‑modernization strategy that has turned Iloilo City into what local officials now call the "Benchmarking Capital" of the Philippines for public‑private partnerships. At least nine local government units and institutions have visited to study the project, including delegations from San Pablo, Laguna; General Santos City; Cabuyao, Laguna; Capiz; and San Jose, Antique. Former Senate President Franklin Drilon toured the markets, describing the project as a model other LGUs could replicate. Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro also visited, engaging with stallholders and observing the dignified vendor environment.
The economic returns are tracking the tourism metrics. Local Economic Enterprise Department head Maricel Mabaquiao said the city is targeting more than P100 million in market revenue this year, after exceeding an P81‑million target in 2024 with P101 million in actual collections. The PPP contract spans 25 years, renewable for another 25, ensuring the infrastructure remains professionally maintained. Under the agreement, SM Prime handles mall operations while the city government retains full ownership and manages the market sections—a structure Travel And Tour World describes as a "masterclass in public‑private collaboration."
