DAVAO CITY – In his State of the City Address (SOCA) on Tuesday, Mayor Sebastian Duterte announced that a total of 1,296,928 tourists visited Davao in 2023. He noted that this figure is significantly higher than the 897,406 recorded in 2022.

“After the pandemic, we have recovered but it's not easy. What’s important is that we Dabawenyos are organized,” he added.

Duterte also noted that 2,410 tourism establishments secured their certifications and licenses in 2023.

“This is proof that the city continues to be a growing tourist destination and provides a favorable business environment for the local tourism industry,” he said.

The city launched the new Duaw Davao Festival in June and will be hosting the fourth Ironman 70.3 this year.

“We also launched a new festival this year, the Duaw Dabaw Festival, designed to encourage tourists and Dabawenyos alike to explore and enjoy the many attractions and activities the city has to offer. We thank everyone who contributed to its huge success and we intend to mount a bigger Duaw Dabaw next year,” Duterte announced.

The city also hosted 4,105 meetings, incentive travel, conventions, and exhibitions (MICE) events from June 2023 to May 2024.

“Davao City continues to be a major MICE destination following the city’s successful hosting of the MICE convention in March of last year. We are happy to announce that from June 2023 to May 2024, the number of MICE events held in the city nearly doubled compared to the 2,156 events from June 2022 to May 2023,” Duterte said.

He added, “We hope to continue hosting more MICE events in the coming year. Our goal is to maintain what we have recovered from the pandemic and [find] ways to improve.”