The Davao City Tourism Operations Office (CTOO) aims for a total of 1.5 million tourist arrivals at the end of 2023, as stated by CTOO officer-in-charge Jennifer Romero during the Habi at Kape media forum at Ayala Malls Abreeza on Wednesday morning, November 22, 2023.
She reported that the city has already recorded 1.1 million tourist arrivals from January to October 2023.
“Mag full blast pa man gyud ta so this is already a good indication that we already hit a 1 million mark and we still have November and December more or less our target to end is 1.3 to 1.5 million (We are still in full swing, so this is already a good indication that we have surpassed the 1 million mark. With November and December ahead, our target is 1.3 to 1.5 million),” Romero said.
The CTOO officer highlighted expectations for the 2023 Pasko Fiesta to further boost tourist numbers in the city.
Despite challenges, she affirmed the office's commitment to restoring tourist arrivals to pre-pandemic levels, citing the banner year of 2019 with 2.5 million tourists.
Romero attributed the increased number of tourists in 2023 to Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (Mice) bookings, international travel, and improved mobility within the city. In contrast, 2022 saw only 700,000 tourist arrivals from January to October.
CTOO plans to strengthen the MICE segment in Davao City. Romero emphasized the existence of a MICE board and announced plans to restructure and realign action plans. The focus is on revitalizing incentive schemes for MICE bookings, especially targeting international bookings.RGP