THE Department of Tourism-Davao Region (DOT-Davao) reports that the region currently has four direct international flights connecting Davao to Hong Kong, Qatar, Singapore, and Thailand.
DOT-Davao Regional Director Tanya Rabat-Tan also noted that Davao has multiple domestic routes, including Clark, Manila, Iloilo, Bacolod, Cebu, Bohol, Puerto Princesa, Zamboanga, Caticlan, Tacloban, Siargao, and Cagayan de Oro.
“We are actively working on air service and route development to sustain and strengthen existing flights in Davao,” Tan said during the Kapehan sa Bagong Pilipinas forum on March 7, 2025, at NCCC Victoria.
She said that DOT, local government units (LGUs), and consulates are collaborating to explore new flight routes, particularly for secondary airports.
While adding more direct international flights requires careful planning, she remains optimistic about expansion, given the region’s strong economy.
In 2024, the Davao Region recorded 4,155,581 tourist arrivals, with the top foreign visitors coming from the United States, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, India, Singapore, and Germany.
As of February 25, 2025, DOT-Davao has accredited 381 tourism enterprises and continues to certify more establishments.
Tan highlighted the region’s diverse tourism offerings, including culture, nature, sun and beaches, farm tourism, diving, adventure, and Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (Mice).
“We market Davao and we develop more products yung mga product portfolio we continue to work on developing so that we have more to offer here sa Davao (We continue to market Davao and expand our product portfolio to offer more experiences to visitors),” she said. RGP