Turn tourists to investors, says Chinese consul general

CHINESE Consulate General in Davao City urged the city government to attract more Chinese tourists as they will eventually become potential investors in the city.

“I think that if we want to establish business link or investors, though of course we have existing investments already, but for the new ones to come, we should encourage more visitors because seeing is believing,” Consul-General Li Lin said in an interview with SunStar Davao.

“We [should] first encourage tourists then investors [because if] they come here and feel the warmth of the local people, they could then study the business environment or opportunities here,” he added.

Lin said there is a significant growth in the Chinese business community in Davao in the last three years, an indication of a “good” relationship of the two areas and the China-Philippine relations as a whole through President Rodrigo Duterte and President Xi Jinping.

He observed that this year, there are more traditional businessmen, small-scale restaurants, China Town shops, and even big companies that are engaged in importing and exporting goods in the city.

“Ever since the inauguration of my office, we have seen two direct air routes, the Hong Kong-Davao and Jinjang-Davao. Because of this connectivity, the exchanges and cooperation in culture and people have been greatly enhanced and it also enhanced convenience so more visitors are coming from China to Davao,” Lin said.

“These people or tourists include potential investors. The Chinese people coming here often relay to me their impression to the place and the people in Davao,” he added.

In the data obtained from the Department of Tourism regional office, Chinese tourists were the second top foreign visitors in Davao Region in the first quarter of 2019 following the Americans. (LHC)