Tuesday, September 16, 2008 Tourist arrivals up in 1st quarter By Joy Romares-Sevilla
VISITORS from East Asian countries have contributed the biggest share in the number of tourist arrivals in Davao City during the first quarter of this year.
In a report obtained by Sun.Star Davao from the Department of Tourism (DOT) in Southern Mindanao, the number of visitors from East Asia has increased by 14.08 percent from January to March, as compared to the same period last year.
DOT-Southern Mindanao said that for the period, a total of 15,121 foreign travelers arrived in Davao City. Of the figure, 5,970 were from countries in East Asia, such China, Hongkong, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.
It added that of these countries, Japan has the biggest volume of visitors to Davao City with 2,839, followed by South Korea with 1,943.
The report also revealed that the number of tourists from North American countries also contributed to the growth of tourism industry in Davao City.
DOT said that the number of US citizens who visited the city during the period was pegged at 3,401, higher by 59.30 percent as compared to the same period in 2007, which was pegged at 2,135.
Meanwhile, significant increase was also noted in the number of tourist arrivals from Europe during the period.
An increase of 94.26 percent was recorded in the arrival of tourists from European countries, such as Germany, France, Denmark, Italy, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Spain, and Norway.
The total number of domestic travellers, on the other hand, was pegged at 137,212.
Meanwhile, DOT reported that a total of 202,001 tourists visited the Davao Region during the first quarter of the year, most of them traveled to Davao City.
This volume of arrivals, DOT said, has an increase of two percent as compared to the same period last year with 198,456 tourist arrivals.
The increase is attributed to DOT's extensive promotions of the region as a major tourism destination through the holding of festivals and events region-wide.
DOT said these promotions were conducted with the full support and cooperation of the local government units (LGUs), which hosted several of these activities.
These events, DOT added, played a major role in encouraging travel among domestic and foreign visitors despite travel advisories.
The total number of domestic and foreign travelers in Davao City was sourced from a data submitted by 19 hotels, six inns, and nine pension houses to the regional office of the DOT.
