City Tourism Office to hype more Davao City as tourist destination

Davao City, April 18 (PIA) The City Tourism Office muses to hype more Davao City as tourist destination with more activities that will attract visitors here and abroad to spur local employment.

Jason Magnaye, head of the City Investment Promotion Center and the City Tourism Office said that bringing in more visitors to the city remains a challenge for the local government and the accommodation agency.

Even then, he said tourist arrival brings more jobs to the city.

Magnaye said that a visitor usually spends P2, 800 a day which covers expenses in food, transportation and frolicking around the city.

“The money spent by visitors circulates and benefits all stakeholders in the tourism industry from tour operators, taxi drivers, waiters,” he said.

He revealed that the tourist arrivals in 2012 registered 1.075 million as reported by large and small hotels in the city.

“From the looks of it, at the very least, we had 1, 075,000 people benefitted from the tourist arrival last year,” Magnaye said.

Managye recalled that in 2011, tourist arrival- record was 744,275.

“The 2012 figure in tourist arrival is equivalent to 45 percent increase in tourist arrival compared to 2011,” Magnaye said.

He attributed the influx of visitors to the many events conducted last year in the city ranging from various conventions to traditional activities like Araw ng Dabaw and Kadayawan Festival, availability of new flights connecting Davao to other areas of destination in the country.

Magnaye said many establishments also opened in 2012 like the malls, convention centers and new resorts.

“They provided more reasons for people to come,” he said.

Magnaye said that this summer, he expects a surge of 15 percent or 30 to 40,000  visitors per month compared to previous years.

He said that the first three months of 2013, the occupancy rate among the hotels in the city recorded 67 percent.

“It is an indication that we still have enough rooms for visitors.  It is just really a matter of timing and spacing the events.  It is important that activities will not be lumped only on one weekend,” Magnaye said. (PIA XI-Joey Sem G. Dalumpines)