BAGUIO – Travelling to the Summer Capital of the Philippines? You might want to rethink bringing your car.

Baguio City remains a top tourist destination in the country, and it has proved its popularity during the holiday season due to influx of tourists.

The city, however, faces a problem – the worsening traffic, as arriving tourists tend to bring their own cars.

Mayor Benjamin Magalong acknowledged the issue of mobility in the city and earlier this month, in a Facebook post, he asked for the Baguio populace’s patience to accommodate visitors in the tourist-driven city.

“As practicable as possible, park your cars and take public transport,” the city chief executive said.

Magalong also encouraged residents and city goers to walk because it is “good for your heart” and “good for your health”.

In a social media post by the Baguio City Public Information Office, he recognized the importance of tourism to offset the city’s “shortfalls in its revenue collections in the past years due to the ongoing Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.”

The local government’s tourism office earlier said that arrivals in 2022 are "already reaching pre-pandemic levels with around 150,000 visitors per month since March or an estimated 1.2 million so far.”

The worsening traffic in the city, particularly during the holidays, has not sat well with residents, as they air their complaints on social media.

A Twitter user from Baguio said, "di na talaga namin kayang mga taga-baguio yung traffic at hassle na dulot niyo".

Some tourists have also lamented that they “cannot enjoy Baguio” due to heavy traffic.

"TRAFFIC in BAGUIO!!!…Please, reconsider coming up na, overloaded city 🤣🤣🤣" another Twitter user complained who seemed to be visiting the city.

The city council, in a resolution signed by Magalong, has requested the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Cordillera Administrative Region (DENR-CAR) to allow construction of a multi-level parking building along Buhagan Road “to ease traffic congestion”.

Magalong, in a video posted by Baguio PIO on December 22, said “investors expressed interest in investing in various projects, particularly on smart mobility project” in the city.