Davao eyes increase in international tourist arrivals

MANILA, Philippines - Davao, one of the safest cities in the Philippines and in the world, is eyeing an additional 20 to 30-percent increase in international tourists over the next three years.

The Davao region is specifically looking into potential markets in Singapore and Russia to further boost its tourism activities.

Currently, only 10 percent of the market share goes to foreign arrivals and the remaining 90 percent is accounted for by domestic travelers.

“We are happy with the domestic (tourists). But the 20- to 30-percent in international will be a very big increase and will allow the industry to grow,” Department of Tourism (DOT) Region 11 director Roberto Alabado III said.

He added their goal is to attract more visitors from nearby areas aside from the Americans, Japanese and Koreans which are the top three foreign visitors of the region.

Alabado reiterated what DOT Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. said that spending, length of stay and receipts are the indicators that should be looked into, and not the quantity of tourist arrivals in the country.

The region is also gearing up for its Visit Davao Fun Sale (VDFS) summer of next year that aims to boost tourism activities in the area, to increase tourist arrivals and to become a venue for public-private sector collaboration.

The VDFS 2015 last April 3 to May 17 was participated by more than 250 establishments and posted a 38 percent increase in occupancy rate for April to May and an additional 41 percent increase on domestic travelers and 10 percent on foreign visitors.

“We have engaged the various links of the value chain of the tourism industry. This allowed tourists to enjoy discounts even from their points of origin, upon their arrival in Davao and in every step of their vacation,” Alabado said.

The annual VDFS targets to provide more business to the people, as well as to allow tourists to have a good experience and value for money.