Older Japanese are knocking at the doors of the Tokyo office of the Department of Tourism (DOT) to inquire about how they could retire in Davao City, according to DOT regional director Art Boncato Jr.
“Our tourism office in Tokyo has recorded an increase in inquiries about retiring in the Philippines, particularly in Davao,” Boncato said.
He bared the good news after returning from the DOT-led Philippine Business Mission to East and West Japan and the Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA) Travel Showcase held recently.
“We are now closely working with the Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA) office in Davao to entice the increasing number of retirees in Japan to choose Davao as their second home,” he said.
Japan is the second biggest foreign market of Davao with at least 12,000 arrivals in 2010, DOT data show.
Boncato said Davao City has a historical value to the Japanese, thousands of whom worked in Japanese abaca plantations in Davao before World War II.
Japanese on group tours coming to visit Japanese shrines here is an annual routine by relatives who spent time here before the war, he added.
Boncato said Davao sees new windows of growth in the Japanese market from the Department of Tourism (DOT)-led Philippine Business Mission to East and West Japan and the Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA) Travel Showcase last September and October.
Boncato and deluxe property Marco Polo Davao represented the city in a road show in Fukuoka, Osaka, Nagoya and Tokyo with promising results.
“We are pleased to know that Philippine Airlines in Nagoya will soon begin promotions for Davao via their direct flights to Manila and in our initial meetings we agreed to focus on the golf market for starters,” he said.
“We are also gearing up through our Philippine Retirement authority office in Davao to entice the increasing number of retirees in Japan to choose Davao as their second home. Our tourism office in Tokyo has recorded an increase in inquiries about retiring in the Philippines,” he added.
Japan is the second biggest foreign market of Davao with at least 12,000 arrivals in 2010 based on 43% of total number of hotels reporting data to the DOT
The Philippine Business Mission is an annual marketing program of the DOT that gives updates on Philippine tourism to travel agents and tour operators as well as media in a seminar. A travel mart and an evening reception provided business interaction. This year, DOT Assistant Secretary Benito Bengzon, Jr. led the delegation. Other government and private sector stakeholders came from Manila, Cebu, Bohol and Palawan.
Meanwhile, at the JATA Travel Showcase, Asia’s largest tourism exhibition held in Tokyo, the DOT hosted 29 tourism-related establishments in the Philippine Pavilion branded as Premium Resort Islands Philippines. A total of around 38,000 travel trade players & press as well as 80,000 consumers visited the showcase from September 30 to October 2.
The Philippine Pavilion featured a Japanese convenience store, Mini-stop that gave away Davao cavendish bananas in a successful campaign for Japanese to visit the Philippine Pavilion. A cavendish banana in Japan is sold at Y100 or around P50 per piece. [PNA]
