In a ceremonial turnover held on Tuesday (July 26) at Pinnacle Hotel, the City Government of Davao accepted the 25-year tourism masterplan which was formulated in coordination with Palafox and Associates.
The Davao City Tourism Master Plan is a strategic tourism roadmap for the next 25 years and will be implemented in three phases. The first phase will focus on urban tourism with the Sta Ana Waterfront Park and the Chinatown Night Market. The second phase will then spread to the spokes which are the rural areas suited for adventure eco-tourism. The third phase will be the development of mountain tourism particularly in the Marilog area.
The master plan identified sites for future tourism infrastructure projects. The ceremony showed the architectural and environmental designs for the proposed Davao Waterfront Development at Sta Ana port, the Davao Chinatown Night Markets in Tomas Monteverde, Davao Mountain Park in Marilog and the Eco-Tourism Adventure Park at Catigan-Eden-Toril. These projects entail a total budget of P32-billion.
Mayor Sebastian Duterte during the ceremony committed to support the masterplan adding that it will be reviewed closely to determine the feasibility of the proposed projects.
He asked local officials for their cooperation, saying the biggest challenges in the implementation of the master plan is the expropriation of public lands and the magnitude of the roadmap.
City Councilor Al Ryan Alejandre, chair of the City Council’s committee on tourism said they will check if there is a need for a council resolution to support the master plan. He cited also the importance of the private sector support to realize the ambitious tourism master plan.
Also unveiled during the turnover ceremony is the new city tourism logo and branding with the catchphrase “Definitely Davao.”
Present during the ceremony were Palafox and Associates founder Architect Felino Palafox Jr., Acting City Administrator Atty. Francis Mark Layog, Councilor Myrna Dalodo-Ortiz, Councilor Al Ryan Alejandre, Ms. Susan Isabel Reta, Office of the Vice President Satellite Office Manager Generose Tecson, Department of Tourism (DOT)XI Regional Director Tanya Rabat-Tan, City Tourism Operations Office (CTOO) Chief Julieta Catacutan. (PIA/RG Alama)
