Willenito P. Tormis Jr., Officer-in-Charge of the City Tourism Operations Office (CTOO) told the City Information Office that the city’s strength lies in offering diverse experience beyond the usual attractions while ensuring that local small and medium enterprise (SMEs) benefit from increased visibility and support.
“Davao is one of the places that enjoys the increasing number of traveler and tourist arrivals. We are doing a lot of initiatives because we always believe that our local establishments need support, they need a push. They have their restaurants and establishments, but people really need to be reminded of the things we are doing. That's why we introduced new tourism circuits, new tours, new products for them so that our local SMEs won't be left behind,” he said.
The city’s festivals remain powerful magnets of tourism with the Kadayawan Festival in August 2025 logging 206, 506 visitors followed by the Pasko Fiesta in December 2025 with 192, 969 arrivals.
Latest figures also show a steady momentum with 165, 867 visitors in January, 173, 344 in February and 186, 131 tourists in March during the month-long Araw ng Dabaw celebration.
Tormis emphasized the city’s strong tourism performance last March 2026 with 17.38 percent increase compared to March 2025.
"We are happy that last March there was a significant increase in our tourist arrivals, with a 17.38 percent increase from last year. A huge factor was our month-long activities for Araw ng Dabaw, and we also introduced many new activities,” he added.
Preparations are also underway for the Duaw Dabaw festival in June 2026, which will feature a variety of sporting events, city wide promotions and more vibrant cultural showcase.
With sustained tourism growth through new initiatives and vibrant festivals, Davao City strengthens its position as a premier destination, keeping its rich culinary heritage at the heart of the visitor experience. CIO