THE Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines-Davao City (Caap-Davao) has confirmed a surge in passenger numbers at Davao International Airport (DIA), particularly during the 39th Kadayawan Festival.
In a radio interview with GMA Super Radyo Davao on Wednesday, August 15, Caap-Davao manager Rex Obcena reported that daily passenger arrivals at DIA have increased to 6,000, up from the usual 5,000.
“For the past almost six months naa sa ta around 5,000, the start of this month naa na tas sa 6,000 so almost around mga eight percent increase (For the past almost six months, we have had around 5,000 passengers. At the start of this month, we are now at around 6,000, which is an almost eight percent increase),” he said.
Obcena noted that this increase began in mid-July and continues to grow as the Kadayawan Festival's major events approach.
Earlier, on July 25, 2024, Jennifer Romero stated that they were expecting 200,000 to 250,000 local and international tourists for the festival. She also mentioned that, following the directive of Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, the focus would be on domestic tourism.
The Davao City Overland Transport Terminal (Dcott) is also seeing a rise in passenger numbers. On August 2, 2024, Dcott Manager Aisa Usop reported that daily passengers at the terminal had increased to 40,000, up from the usual 35,000, with around 75,000 passengers expected during the Kadayawan Festival.
Major events of the Kadayawan Festival include the Hiyas sa Kadayawan coronation night on August 16, and the Indak-Indak sa Kadayawan and Parada sa Kadayawan on August 18. RGP