STF seen to draw 120 participants

Thursday, January 19, 2012

ORGANIZERS are expecting 120 to 150 participants during the Sports Tourism Forum (STF) at the Waterfront Insular Hotel Davao on January 31.

STF founder Charles Lim, appearing in yesterday's weekly Club 888 forum at the Marco Polo Hotel Davao, said stakeholders from the sports world as well as those in the tourism industry will converge in the one-day event with the hope of finding the right formula to entice tourists not only to Davao City but to the entire region through the promotion of sports tourism.

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"It's something that we are considering very seriously, to develop the potentials of Davao," Lim said during the conference.

Lim said they have invited Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte to grace the affair, which is open to sports officials, tourism players, corporate event directors, tour operators and even management companies.

Lim said Jimenez has yet to confirm his attendance, but they are looking forward to having the secretary on the day of the event.

The event is being presented and organized by Selrahco Management, a top corporate events and sports marketing in the country. Giving support and sponsoring the STF are the Department of Tourism (DOT), City Government of Davao, Tourism Infrastructure Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) and Cebu Pacific Air.

The Sports Tourism Forum will have top- caliber sports industry experts to share their expertise in the field. There will be lectures in staging, planning and management, sports marketing, sports promotion and partnering with media outlets and developing a top sports tourism destination.

Lim said the speakers include Princess Galura of IMG Philippines, William Ramirez, former chair of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), Cesar Cruz of the Philippine Tour Operators Association, Vitto Lazatin of AKTV (TV5) and Matthew Cullen of Philippine Rugby Union (of the Philippine Volcanoes).

Also in attendance to share their expertise are Masrina Mohd Bakri, tourism director of Malaysia, Blessie Labra Cruz of Cebu Pacific Air and DOT regional director Art Boncato.