AN OFFICIAL of the Department of Tourism (DOT) said that the agency is eyeing to offer a cruise within the areas of Malaysia, Palawan and Mindanao to boost tourist exchange.

Myra Paz Abubakar, DOT assistant secretary and concurrent regional director, made this announcement citing the cruise will start in Malaysia to Palawan and then to Mindanao.

Abubakar said they are eyeing the cities of Dapitan, Davao and Zamboanga as the stop-over point of the cruise ship here in Mindanao.

She said the cruise is a welcome development once it will push through as it will spur both economic and tourism development.

The DOT official said the conduct of the cruise forms part of the programs of the Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines-East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-Eaga), a sub-regional economic cooperation initiative in Southeast Asia.

She said a study and the needed preparations would be conducted to ensure the holding of the cruise will be beneficial to all concerned stakeholders. (Bong Garcia/SunStar Philippines)