“AS A homegrown Ilonggo business, we have always been proud to be able to offer the best of Iloilo, the best of Western Visayas, even the best of our country, to our tourists and also our locals,” shared Atty. Jobert Peñaflorida founder of Fiesta Souvenirs, as the respected brand celebrates 15 years of showcasing the finest the region has to offer today.
On Tuesday, Fiesta Souvenirs opened its flagship one-stop souvenir shop in Iloilo City at Festive Walk Mall inside Megaworld’s Iloilo Business Park township – boasting a curated array of local “proud to be Ilonggo” products and a slew of new innovative in-house brands, aside from their signature shirts.
Fiesta Souvenirs has gone a long way, from starting “from scratch” from the garage of Atty. Peñaflorida, now with over 30 outlets around the country and becoming the top-selling souvenir shirt brand at SM Kultura.
“Fiesta really just started from our garage,” relates Atty. Peñaflorida, who manages the business with his wife Rhea Inocencio-Peñaflorida. “We are excited to see that we’ve taken off from the garage to the malls. Fifteen years ago, we opened our first store at Robinsons Place Iloilo, a very small kiosk, now we are in 30 locations and employ 120 people nationwide.”
Among those who attest to the success of Fiesta Souvenirs are Department of Tourism Region 6 regional director Atty. Helen J. Catalbas, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) – Iloilo director Diosdado Cadena Jr., and general manager of Courtyard by Marriott Iloilo Cleofe Albiso – all whom laud the business acumen of the Peñaflorida couple and are excited for what Fiesta Souvenirs has to offer next.
“[I really see] Fiesta Souvenirs’ t-shirts as walking posters that promote the region’s popular tourist sites and our tourism industry as a whole,” said DOT’s Atty. Catalbas. “That is why I encourage our tourism front-liners, those who directly interact with out tourists and visitors, to wear Fiesta souvenir t-shirts.”
“If you are, for example, a Guimaras tourism front-liner, whether you are involved in transportation or a tour guide, you should wear a t-shirt than features the island’s famous mango, or the image of the Balaan Bukid, or the San Lorenzo windmills. It makes for good advertising.” the Tourism executive added. “It’s a practice I encourage not only in Guimaras, but in the entire region.”
“Fiesta Souvenirs will really cater to visitors of our city, that they’ll have a one-stop shop for all their souvenir needs,” DTI’s Cadena told Panay News, relating that they may even partner with the shop in the near future to host the province’s “One Town One Product” showcases. “Everything is here, from gift items, and pasalubong, up to quality products of the region and the province, all of which Panay island can be proud, very truly Ilonggo products.”
“When Marriott first decided to invest in Iloilo, we really wanted to the have a dedicated gift shop inside the hotel for the ease of our guests,” related the hotelier Albiso. “Fiesta Souvenirs was really the first option to pop up when we did our research, the leader in the local souvenir market, and our partnership with the brand has proven very fruitful. Our Fiesta Souvenirs outlet at the ground floor of the Courtyard by Marriott Iloilo has shown itself to be very delightful to our guests.”
Fiesta Souvenirs is poised for even more growth, launching its own brand of dried mangoes and banana chips, all the while tapping region’s finest local entrepreneurs for its in-house brands.
“Fiesta Souvenirs is proud to say that have our own brands now, we have ‘Buhi’ our organic line, for our classic Filipiniana we have ‘Calle Real,’ and we are also coming up for seafood ‘Gana’” shared the topnotch CPA-MBA-Lawyer, media personality, and entrepreneur. “We are very excited to develop brands and tap local entrepreneurs and MSMEs (Micro, small and medium enterprises) to help us build our business.”
With “Calle Real,” Fiesta Souvenirs taps Aklan’s best weavers – the province being known for its quality piña fiber fabrics – and the iconic Hablon of Oton, Villa Arevalo, and Miag-ao.
Their organic products, very popular with tourists in Boracay remarks Atty. Peñaflorida, includes virgin coconut oil, soap, and other wellness merchandise, produced by the Women Cooperative of Antique and the Women’s Cooperative of Boracay.
“It’s really about building a network that supports its each other. This way, we are not the only ones growing, we are also lifting up small entrepreneurs with us, developing Ilonggo and Panay products that we can be proud of,” he added.
“The secret to our success is sharing, giving back to the community,” mused Atty. Peñaflorida. “At Fiesta Souvenirs we provide a venue not only for our products, but also for other businesses in our community. That’s how fiesta started as a MSME, run from my garage. Now we’re paying back and paying forward.”
Congratulations Fiesta Souvenirs on 15 years of showcasing the finest the region has to offer today!
Fiesta Souvenirs’ flagship one-stop souvenir shop in Iloilo City is located at the 2nd Floor, Main Atrium of Festive Walk Mall inside Megaworld’s Iloilo Business Park township./PN
