Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco led the groundbreaking ceremony and signing of Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the construction of the Tourist Rest Area (TRA) in the Island Garden City of Samal (IGaCoS), Davao del Norte on October 7, 2022.
The Tourist Rest Area is one of the flagship programs of Secretary Frasco and is grounded on the Department’s vision to provide convenience and comfort to tourists. The TRA will highlight the provision of clean restrooms for tourists in transit to different tourist destinations.
It will house a coffee shop, a pasalubong center, a souvenir store, a tourist Information area, and a charging station.
“In our listening tours, Samal was identified as one of the emerging destinations and by putting up this TRA there will be confidence in the area, more tourists as well,” Frasco said in an interview.
Frasco said the establishment of TRA in Samal aims to provide visitors with a relaxing and comfortable travel as they visit the island.
“We believe in the potential of Samal to become a key tourist destination in the country,” she said.
She also said the TRA will be built in a very strategic location – adjacent to the City Hall, police station, and future sites of the integrated bus terminal, public market, and convention center.
According to DOT 11 Regional Director Tanya Rabat-Tan the project is currently at the procurement stage.
“As a city that heavily relies in the tourism industry, Samal and its people will greatly benefit from this project because this will provide convenience to our tourists. When we can guarantee satisfaction to our visitors, we can be assured that they will come back in our place to try out more of our activities, or to simply relax some more,” Tan said.
Samal is one of the top tourist destinations in the Davao Region and in Mindanao because of the variety of the sun and beach offerings.
Tan said there are about 90 resorts in the island ranging from budget to luxury resorts.
“And since Samal Island is only about 10 minutes away from Davao City by boat or ferry, it is easily a favorite tropical getaway among Davao City residents and tourists. Therefore, primarily, tourists visit Samal because of our resorts, and island and water experiences (including island hopping, diving, freediving, etc),” she said
Apart from the groundbreaking, Frasco also signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the local government (LGU) of IGaCoS.
The MOA pertinent to the TRA involves the tripartite arrangement in the establishment and maintenance of the place. Stipulated in the agreement is the joint undertaking between the DOT, the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), and the LGU where the establishment is located.
As the tourism infrastructure arm of the government, TIEZA is in charge of the funding and construction of the TRAs. While the DOT serves as the overall monitoring agency and evaluator of the project as its primary concept originator, while the LGUs are tasked with the day-to-day operation and maintenance of the area. Upon turnover, the LGUs are permitted to lease part of the facilities to the private sector to recover the cost of its upkeep.
