Davao tourism summit seeks to sustain air connectivity

Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. DCCCII president Arturo Milan speaks to the local media in this file photo. (File Photo by Digna Banzon)

DAVAO CITY -- The Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (DCCCII) will host a stakeholder's tourism summit at a still unannounced date this month.

DCCCII president Arturo Milan said the summit seeks to strengthen Davao products and services and encourage more tourists to come.

Milan sees the need to sustain connectivity noting that there are already four direct international flights to this city.

Davao City's four direct flights are the Davao-Singapore serviced by Singapore Airlines' Silk Air and Cebu Pacific; Davao-Jinjiang by Xiamen Air; Davao-Hong Kong by Cathay Dragon of Dragon Airlines, Ltd.; and Davao-Doha by Qatar Airways.

Milan said there are also three ongoing negotiations for direct flights from Davao to Haneda (Japan) and the revival of the Davao-Manado (Indonesia) and the Davao-Kota Kinabalu (Malaysia) routes.

The air connectivity will boost tourism not only in the Davao Region but the island of Mindanao, Milan said.

Milan said: "We have to collaborate with all our Davao stakeholders on tourism to be able to improve and work on programs on how tourists could come."

Davao City Tourism head Generose Tecson also underscored Saturday the need to sustain connectivity, saying the city "badly needs" to "come up with plans and propositions" to be able to do this.

Tecson also sees the need for the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) to help, noting that the observations that emerged during tourism roadshows that Davao was not promoted by the TPB.

She said: "Now that we have these international flights already then they should promote us and help us because if they just rely on the city -- we cannot do it alone."

Tecson said private and government sectors of the region have forged partnerships for the promotion of tourism programs. (PNA/By Digna Banzon  )