by Lovely A. Carillo
The open skies policy being mulled by the Philippine government is expected to open doors to tourism opportunities between Davao in the Philippines and Macau, which is one of China’s two special administrative regions.
“Under the open skies policy, any airline can fly point to point even without prior negotiation, for as long as there is a market,” Macau government tourist office-Philippines general manager Narzalina Lim said. This could mean direct flights between Davao City and Macau, which can further encourage complementary tourism activities between the two areas, she added.
Lim said Davao and the Philippines can learn a lot from Macau’s experience because “it takes a lot of political will to do what Macau has done.” Davao City’s airport is underutilized, she said, and the tourism people here should look at other opportunities to market the city and the region to encourage more air traffic.
While Macau is a favorite destination for Filipinos, with over 262,000 Filipino tourists in Macau last year, Davao can also try to get a lion’s share of tourists from Macau who love to travel.
“The Chinese love beautiful beaches and a lot of my friends from Macau go to the beaches of Cebu and Boracay, so why not Davao” she said. But, while Davao has the sand, sun and the beaches sought by international tourists, Lim said there is a lot for the local government and the private sector to do like promoting Davao in the international market.
She said Davao should take the cue from Macau by providing mixed attractions to attract different segments of society. Hotels, she said, should be upgraded and the exotic culture of Mindanao highlighted to attract tourists here.
“The main challenge, however, is how to overcome the stigma of the peace and order problem that has hounded Mindanao for so long,” she said. But Macau used to be a sleepy backwater with peace and order problems, just like the region, she added.
Lim said Macau offers a big opportunity for Davao tourism since more than half of their population travel every year “and they are very rich”. She said Macau tourists who regularly visit Phuket in Thailand spend up to $200 per day each and they usually stay up to 30 days.
