DAVAO de Oro notes an increase in tourist arrivals this year with more people enjoying outdoor leisure activities, said provincial tourism officer Christine Dompor on Friday, October 14.
Dompor said the province placed sixth out of all the provincial governments in the country in 2021 in terms of tourist arrivals. This year, she said the province has already surpassed it’s target.
“Naa mi target na minimum ten percent increase but wala pa nahuman ang tuig, 35 percent increase na ta from the previous year (We have a target of minimum ten percent increase but so far this year, we’ve had a 35 percent increase from the previous year),” she said during the Kapehan sa PIA media forum at NCCC Victoria Plaza.
In 2020, the province ranked 11th wherein most visits were made before the Covid-19 pandemic hit the country and strict lockdowns were imposed.
Recently, the tourism officer said that despite the pandemic, the province has been welcoming more tourists particularly from local and domestic bubbles.
This was because the pandemic made outdoor leisure activities the standard in the new normal.
“The domestic tourism is very strong. Ang mga tao tungod pandemic, nagpa-bukid (The people prefer the province because of the pandemic). They prefer more outdoor activities, which kami daghan kaayo (which we have a lot of),” Dompor said.
In line with this, Dompor said the provincial LGU has been expanding its tourism sector, starting with the construction of new resorts and tourism facilities.
The areas most visited are the coastal tourism communities in the municipalities of Mabini and Pantukan, and even the highlands of Maragusan. Dompor said tourists have easy access to neighboring destinations such as Davao Oriental due to improved accessibility.
Aside from that, the province is also promoting its tourism circuits like the Wellness Circuit which highlights falls and hot springs, and the Highland to Valley Circuit where extreme sports and amusement parks are located.
Lastly, the Coastal Circuit features some of the region’s luxury resorts but may offer more water activities including diving and snorkeling soon.
Dompor said they expect to triple the number of tourist arrivals from their original target in the 4th quarter of the year or before 2022 ends.
Moving forward, the province plans to hold more tourism events as Covid-19 restrictions ease.
“More activities and i-offer nato (We will offer more activities). Before naa ta summer events, trekking events bale naa ta per season (Previously, we hosted summer events and trekking events in tune with the season). You can have all these in one circuit,” Dompor said. ICM