DAVAO City has secured two national finalist nominations out of 606 entries nationwide for the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines (Atop) Pearl Awards 2026, as city tourism officials celebrate the national recognition and prepare for major upcoming domestic events.
Speaking with the City Information Office, City Tourism Operations Office (CTOO) Department Head Willenito P. Tormis Jr. stated that from 606 entries across the country, 201 finalists were selected across 15 categories, with Davao City earning two spots under the Highly Urbanized City category.
Davao City's nominations include "Kagikan: The Kadayawan Cultural Village" — featuring the traditional houses of the city's 11 ethnolinguistic groups at Magsaysay Park — for Best Practices in Sustainable Tourism, and the official Kadayawan Festival 2025 promotional video for Best Tourism Promotions Video.
"This is an acknowledgement that Kadayawan is seen, Kadayawan is heard, and also Kadayawan is widely recognized all over the Philippines," Tormis said.
"Ang soul sa atoang both categories are really our 11 ethnolinguistic groups and because of the unity sa 11 ka grupo nato nagpamatoud gyud siya nga when we are united, grabe ka colorful, grabe ka bountiful and grabe ka strong (The soul of our both categories is really our 11 ethnolinguistic groups, and because of the unity of our 11 groups, it truly proves that when we are united, our creation as one is incredibly colorful, bountiful, and strong), Tormis added.
The awards, presented jointly by Atop and the Department of Tourism, will be conferred during the Atop Pearl Awards ceremony on October 21, 2026, in Ormoc City.
During the iSpeak media briefing, CTOO representative Charles Deanver Martinez added that Davao City has also submitted a joint bid alongside the Island Garden City of Samal to host the 2027 Atop National Convention.
Domestically, CTOO is preparing for the rebranded Davao City Tourism Olympics on September 30 at SM City Davao (SM Ecoland).
Moving from last year's closed venue at The Royal Mandaya Hotel, the public showcase will feature 16 colleges and universities — including LPU Davao, University of Mindanao, Holy Cross of Davao College, and Mapúa Malayan Colleges Mindanao — competing across eight categories, including Travel Photography, Tourism Investment Pitch, Event Planning, and Digital Tourism Marketing.
CTOO also teased early plans for Pasko Fiesta 2026 under the tagline "One Light, One Heart, One City" and slogan "City of Lights" (Hayag sa Syudad), promising to extend holiday lightings and festivities to far-flung rural barangays while reviving community-based tourism circuits in Marilog and Cadalian.
"Our goal is to make the city brighter... dili lang sya sa downtown makita ang kahayag, but also we are bringing the lights, the kasadya, the kalipay sa mga far-flung areas (Our goal is to make the city brighter... not only in downtown will the light be seen, but we are also bringing the lights, the joy, and the happiness to far-flung areas)," Martinez said.
To bolster rural economic growth, CTOO is simultaneously strengthening community-based tourism circuits in Cadalian and Marilog to complement the city's established farm tours and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) sector. GRS
