Property giant Megaworld is building an iconic attraction to welcome tourists and locals alike in the country’s famed ‘City of Smiles.’

Megaworld, in partnership with the City Government of Bacolod, is breaking ground for the Bacolod Welcome Park—a tourism spot integrated within the 7.5-hectare Northill Town Center in Megaworld’s 53-hectare Northill Gateway township along the New Bacolod-Silay Airport Access Road. 

It will be highlighted by a 7.2-meter ‘Welcome Marker’, that will greet both incoming and outgoing visitors of the city. Its design will feature colorful masks which will be illuminated at night, symbolic of Bacolod’s very own world-renowned Masskara Festival.

Beside the marker will be a visual representation of the Bacolod Government Center, the seat of the local city government. 

“This is not just a milestone for the people of Bacolod but also for Megaworld. This will be the first time for the company to construct a city’s official welcome marker similar to that of Las Vegas, and we are excited to have it in Northill Gateway ,” says Kevin L. Tan, chief strategy officer, Megaworld.

Megaworld will construct the marker at no cost to the government. Since it will be seamlessly integrated into the Northill Town Center, visitors to the Welcome Park will have access to souvenir shops, retail stores, cafes, and restaurants within the commercial complex. 

The company is expected to begin construction of the Northill Town Center by the end of the year. Part of the plan is to also build a church, supermarket, cinemas, as well as open parks and water features around the town center. 

The Northill Town Center will also be closely accessible to Forbes Hill, Megaworld’s first upscale residential village in the whole of Visayas and Mindanao.