Davao City saw 2.34 million foreign visitors as of November 2019. The figure is higher than that of the same period in 2018, which had 2.17 million.
DAVAO CITY - Fresh from recording impressive growth in foreign visitors for the year so far, the Davao City Tourism Operations Office (DCTOO) will be working to put in place MICE programmes to grow that number.
According to DCTOO head Generose Tecson, the Filipino coastal commercial city recorded 2.34 million foreign visitors as of November 2019. The figure is higher than that of the same period in 2018, which had 2.17 million.
"I believe that we're more than that but we don't have data from the self-styled accommodation. Our visitor arrivals consisted of local and foreign tourists," said Ms Tecson.
Topping the list of foreign visitors to Davao City in 2019 are Americans, Chinese, and Japanese, she told the Philippines News Agency.
Davao City will host Philippines' MICE Summit in August 2020, bringing together suppliers and buyers from the domestic and international markets.
Ms Tecson said her team are looking forward to putting in place programs to boost the city's MICE sector in 2020, and bring the services and products of front liners and tourism-related establishments to be at par with international standards.
"It will lead to the opening of more investments in the tourism industry like resorts, convention facilities and the cascading of the benefits of tourism down to local stakeholders," she added.
Ms Tecson said Davao City is also looking forward to more international connectivity. In 2019, two direct international flights opened in Davao City - to Doha, Qatar by Qatar Airways and to Manado, Indonesia by Garuda Indonesia.