DOT bares increase in tourist arrivals in Davao City

There’s an increase in the number of foreign travelers who visited Davao City according to Department of Tourism regional director Sonia Garcia who said some 49,057 foreign visitors visited the city as of November 2007.

Garcia said visitors from East Asia had the most number with 22,396 and those from Japan having the most number with 10,795, Korea, 7,135, China, 1,896, Hong Kong, 1,497 and Taiwan, 1,073.

Travellers from North America followed next with 9,923 and those from U.S.A accounted to about 8,923 and Canada, 988.

Those from the ASEAN numbered about 3,001 and from Singapore, 801, Indonesia, 689, Thailand, 684, Malaysia, 677, Vietnam, 125, and Brunei, 25.

Visitors from Europe numbered about 2,383 and these were from the United Kingdom, 615, Germany, 433, Switzerland, 330, France, 269, Denmark, 230, Netherlands, 114, Italy, 107, Norway, 72, Ireland, 47, Sweden, 46, Austria, 39, Finland, 30, Belgium, 22, Spain, 19, and Holland, 10.

There were 1,950 from Oceania with Australia numbering about 1,872 and New Zealand, 78.

About 134 visitors came from the Middle East while other unspecified numbered 8,621.

The Filipino overseas workers/balikbayans numbered about 7,154 and the total domestic travelers comprises about 530,538 and adding it to the total foreign travelers, the overall total of visitors both foreign and domestic was placed at 586,749.

Visitor arrival in 2006 of the same period accounted to 43,098 for foreign travelers with 7,280 overseas workers/balikbayans making a grand total of 478,815.

Garcia said about 10.80 percent was noted in the increase of visitor arrivals in Davao City last year as against 2006.

She however said that the statistics was based on the hotel occupancy report by country of residence and this includes 19 hotels, six inns, and nine pension houses.