Chinoy bizmen see Mindanao as world’s next tourism hub

DAVAO CITY -- Members of a Filipino-Chinese business community on Saturday expressed optimism on Mindanao's tourism industry as the next hub for investors.

In an interview at the sidelines of the induction of officers at the Marco Polo Hotel here, Anvil Business Club chairperson Wilson Lee Flores said there is great opportunity for tourism businesses to flourish in Mindanao.

Flores said that Mindanao offers many tourist sites that could attract international tourism investors and could strongly compete with other tourist destinations around the world.

“From our point of view, Mindanao is one of the greatest places for tourism in the Philippines,” he said.

Flores said that if the “untouched” places in Mindanao are developed, this would raise a bigger economy not only for the region but also for the entire country.

“Usually when tourists visit Philippines, they go to Metro Manila. Hopefully in the future, there will be more direct flights to Davao, Mindanao so that tourists can go easily. It will then be a good business opportunity for us,” he said.

He noted that once the tourism industry is boosted in Mindanao, more investors are expected to come and invest in the region, creating higher value-added products for tourism and the export industry.

“In Taiwan, they have all kinds of pineapple and they packaged in a much better way creating a bigger business. We have more famous pineapple here that we can also market to tourists just like in Taiwan,” Flores added.

With the current peso to dollar exchange, Flores said that it could be beneficial for the country since the Philippines will be much cheaper for tourists.

“This will be a great opportunity to compete against Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia for tourists since Philippines is much cheaper,” he said. (PNA/By Funny Pearl Gajunera}