The city government of Davao is aiming to draw at least 250,000 visitors for this year’s month-long Duaw Davao celebration, banking on an expanded lineup of tourism, sports, cultural, and lifestyle events despite operating on a relatively modest P21-million budget.
During the Duaw Davao media launch on Thursday at Rogen Inn in Davao City, Davao City Tourism Operations Office (CTOO) Officer-in-Charge Willenito “Will” P. Tormis, Jr. said the city maximized resources and strengthened partnerships with private sponsors to deliver a bigger and more diverse festival this year.
“Well, this year, our budget is P21 million for Duaw Davao. Relatively, dili gyud siya ing-ana kadako same as Araw or Kadayawan, but we really try our best to connect with our private partners,” Tormis said.
He noted that while the budget remains almost the same as last year, organizers managed to add more activities through careful planning and support from sponsors.
“Kung mapansin ninyo, almost same atong budget from last year pero mas daghan tag events this year because gitry gyud nato to best utilize ang budget na mas daghan ang celebrations, mas daghan activities,” he said.
Tormis clarified that the P21-million allocation already includes monetary contributions from sponsors and the city government, covering activities from June 1 to July 15.
“Apil na siya ang sponsors’ contribution nato. Naa pud tay trust fund for the sponsors and kato mga non-monetary, kato ang wala lang na-account totally diha,” he added.
Tormis expressed optimism that the expanded programming will boost visitor arrivals beyond last year’s turnout of nearly 200,000 guests.
“We’re targeting this year for June, 250,000 guests. Last year, we had almost 200,000, so this year, since naa tay mga bagong activities, ginahope nato na maabot tag 250,000 for the month of June,” Tormis said.
He added that Davao City has already seen a 15 to 17 percent increase in tourist arrivals from January to April, fueling expectations for stronger tourism numbers during the festival season.
“Hopefully maabot tag 20 percent higher versus last year para mas lingaw syempre ang atoang celebration for Duaw Davao,” he said.
Tormis described this year’s edition as “bigger” and “braver,” highlighting that nearly half of the activities are newly introduced events.
“This year nga Duaw Davao, it’s bigger, it’s braver because we have new events, and it’s also one of pinaka-hectic na schedules gyud nato for Duaw Davao,” he said.
The tourism chief also underscored the city’s expanded support for local small and medium enterprises, particularly Davao’s coffee and chocolate industry players featured in the Duaw Davao Kape and Tsokolate Crawl.
“Every year naga-try gyud nato atong best na to improve katoang festivals, labi na ang kani Duaw Davao,” he said.
Unlike Araw ng Dabaw, which focuses on cityhood, Kadayawan, which celebrates culture and harvest, and Pasko Fiesta for Christmas festivities, Tormis said Duaw Davao highlights the city’s broader tourism and lifestyle offerings.
“Tourism, sports, recreation, lifestyle tanan na pwede natong i-celebrate sa Davao City,” he said.
This year’s Duaw revolves around four major pillars: “Duaw ta sa Davao Tourismo,” “Duaw ta sa Arts and Colors,” “Duaw ta sa Fiesta sa San Pedro,” and “Duaw ta sa Sports and Lifestyle.”
Tormis also emphasized that the festival is part of Davao City’s continuing effort to elevate visitor experiences after being recognized by the World Travel Index as a top travel destination.
“Kani atong mga efforts na ginabuhat nagapadayon ta with the support of our private stakeholders and tourism stakeholders,” he said.
