THE City Government of the Island Garden City of Samal (Igacos), in partnership with the Bureau of Immigration-Davao Region, will be conducting an Alien Mapping activity from October 27 to 29 to ensure compliance with immigration policies and regulations by foreign nationals residing on the island.
“All foreign nationals are required to participate and comply with this activity to ensure proper documentation and adherence to immigration policies and regulations,” Samal Island Information said in a post on Sunday, September 28, 2025.
Alien Mapping is the government’s process of identifying and documenting foreign nationals currently residing within its jurisdiction to ensure proper immigration compliance.
Tourist arrival
The Department of Tourism–Davao Region (DOT-Davao) reported on March 7, 2025, that the region welcomed 4.1 million tourists in 2024, generating P34.7 billion in tourism receipts.
DOT-Davao Director Tanya Rabat-Tan said the top international tourist markets included the United States of America, followed by China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, India, Singapore, and Germany.
Meanwhile, based on the research paper published on ResearchGate titled “Modeling Tourist Arrivals in the Island Garden City of Samal: Implications to Business Operations of Tourism‑Related Industry,” Igacos recorded around 779,750 tourist arrivals in 2022, 667,032 in 2021, and a significant drop to 154,076 in 2020 due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Igacos tourism areas
Samal Island, with over 150 beach and inland resorts and attractions, is dubbed the largest resort island city in the country. It offers a mix of world-class and budget-friendly accommodations that cater to a wide variety of tourists.
In 2019, prior to the pandemic, the island recorded at least 1.9 million domestic and foreign visitors.
Samal Island offers unique experiences and fun-filled activities, featuring captivating sceneries from highlands to coastlines. Its natural attractions include nature trekking at Mt. Puting Bato, Anggas Peak, and Labuto Peak; swimming and sunbathing along its 118 kilometers of white sand beaches; and diving or snorkeling in its 4-kilometer stretch of coral gardens.
Island hopping remains a favorite activity among tourists.
The island is also home to thousands of giant clams, or taclobos, which guests can view up close through the Taclobo Tours site. It is also home to the Guinness World Record holder for the largest concentration of Geoffroy’s Rousette fruit bats.
Samal Island is abundant in marine resources. Tourists enjoy the freshness of fish caught in its surrounding waters. On clear days, lucky island hoppers may even witness sea cows, dolphins, or whale sharks swimming freely a testament to the island’s thriving marine ecosystem. RGP with reports from PNA