Thursday, September 28, 2006 Japan's 'baby boomers' invited to retire here
DAVAO City is targeting the retiring "baby boomers" of Japan to come and visit the city not only as tourists, but also entice them to spend their retirement years here.
Davao City Councilor Pete Laviña, committee chair on trade and commerce during the Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City on Monday said that for 30 years that the Philippines had been encouraging Japanese nationals to come to our country, the total figure for that span of time only accounted for 12,000 visitors.
"In Thailand, Japanese arrivals numbered about 12,000 monthly," he said.
But he said the figure that they are looking at is about 25,000 tourists and the good thing with Davao is that it already had established strong cultural and historical bonds.
He said however that facilities have to be developed although there are already investors for such projects.
Lavina said that several areas in the city are being looked into as highly potentials from Lanang in the north towards Catigan, Toril.
He said Davao is into it. "It is just a matter of marketing and packaging that is why direct flights from Davao to Japan need to be pushed," he added.
Lavina during his visit in Japan early September talked on the city's investment priorities and the open sky policy.
Davao Tourism Association (Data) president Art Boncato said many of the "baby boomers" will be retiring next year and the Philippines by now has been identifying key destinations.
"It would be Davao's great opportunity because of the strong ties that had already been established with the Japanese nationals," Boncato said.
He said in coordination with the Philippine Retirement Authority there are already areas being developed as retirement villages.
Boncato also stressed that facilities must be developed like "hospitals in a resort setting" or the European type of spa.
"Perhaps these could be areas of garden setting with health improvement facilities or wellness centers where they could check-in or areas where they could build their own home," he said.
"We also need to maintain a friendly setting because these are old people and there must be people who could extend special kind of service to them," said Boncato.
He also said that connections are consideration but with the existing Nagoya-Manila route then down Davao, there is already an access even as he said that connecting flights could also be considered as direct.
"Once the access through connecting flights are available, the next thing is the opening of direct flights," he said.
