City tourism officer Jason C. Magnaye said Davao City seems to be a "Jack of all trades, master of none" because it lacks a unique offering for tourists; unlike Camarines Sur, for example, which people readily identify With wakeboarding, and Siargao in Surigao del Norte which tourists associate with surfing.
"So many tourism officers get confused as to where to position Davao City. We’re putting everything on the table on how to sum it all up," Mr. Magnaye said.
In recent consultations, prospective Davao brands were presented to tourism industry players, businessmen and academe and these were short-listed to three for the approval of Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.
The city’s chief executive, Mr. Magnaye said, has already chosen the final Davao logo and slogan that will be unveiled in time for the summer tourism campaign.
Part of the campaign is to standardize the services and facilities of hotels, inns, and restaurants in the city, which have registered with the City Tourism Office as a prerequisite for applying a permit from the business bureau.
He said the Department of Tourism’s (DoT) regional office has accredited only 52 out of the 120 hotels and other accommodations in the city, thus enforcement of standards is proving to be difficult.
Davao City has an average of 370,000 visitors annually, or more than half the 650,000 tourists in the region. Mr. Magnaye said the actual figure may be more since only accredited accommodations can be tracked by the DoT.
The city government is looking to come up with a system to accurately determine the number and profile of visitors so it can tweak offerings to fit the market.
Tourism regional director Arturo P. Boncato, Jr. said Davao City seems to be strong in meetings, conventions and exhibitions market because of the diversity of activities and attractions. -- JBE
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