9 bidders for Little Tokyo concept

DAVAO CITY Feb. 2 (PIA)-  The Tourism Infrastructure and Investment Zone Authority (TIEZA) is evaluating the bids of nine bidders for the concept and study of the Little Tokyo heritage site in Mintal district.

According to Lisette Marques, OIC City Tourism Operations Office they met with TIEZA board member Roberto Teo during the Asean Tourism Forum in Manila last week where he informed her of the number of bidders for the concept of the heritage site.

Estimated budget for the concept and study for the development of Little Tokyo is P12-million. This is separate from the budget of the actual development.

Formerly known as the PTA (Philippine Tourism Authority) TIEZA is an attached agency of the Department of Tourism (DOT) whose mandate include developing, managing and supervising tourism infrastructure projects nationwide.

Little Tokyo is referred to the site in Mintal where Japanese migrants settled during the American colonial period. During that time the Japanese built a hospital, school, monument, cemetery, hydro-electric plant, houses and other structures.

Currently a few remnants of these structures from a bygone era remain. Among them the Japanese cemetery, a monument, an artesian well and a small hydro-power plant.

The City Government had wanted to develop Little Tokyo for its tourism value particularly in enticing Japanese tourists. According to Marques, Davao City receives around 13,000 Japanese visitors annually. In 2014 it submitted a detailed blueprint to TIEZA for the heritage site project. (PIA/RG Alama)