Davao’s largest and longest-running tourism association, the Davao Tourism Association (DATA), celebrated its 50th anniversary on 12 August, with a gala night held at the Grand Ballroom of Dusit Thani Davao.

Aptly titled “50 Bulawan: Limang Dekada ng DATA” (Bulawan meaning gold in the local vernacular), the event took guests through the association’s humble beginnings in 1974 to the present day, with DATA now boasting over 300 members covering hospitality, food and beverage, travel, education and other allied tourism establishments across the Davao region.

The anniversary gala, which coincided with the celebration of the Kadayawan Festival, was attended by Department of Tourism (DoT) Secretary Maria Esperanza Christina Garcia Frasco, DoT Undersecretary for Tourism Regulation Coordination and Resource Generation and director for Regional Office VII Shahlimar Hofer Tamano, Tourism Promotions Board chief operating officer Marga Nograles, director for Regional Office XI Tanya Rabat-Tan, members of the Davao City Council, deputy mayors of the eleven recognized tribes of Davao City, and past and present DATA officers and members.

DATA president Nicole Hao Bian Ledesma welcomed everyone by sharing the association’s achievements over the past year and its plans for the upcoming year. “Tonight, we commemorate both the past and the future. Over the past five decades, DATA has proven to be the strongest and biggest private-led tourism association in the South of the Philippines.”

“In our endeavor to elevate our industry, it is imperative that we champion sustainability and be regenerative in our travel and business choices. This year’s flagship project is the creation of a sustainable tourism roadmap for Davao for the next five years. This roadmap outlines initiatives to implement impactful sustainable practices across different tourism sectors,” Nicole added.

She mentioned that the project was a collaboration among the members of DATA and expressed a desire for it to inspire and encourage other tourism players in the region and the country to embrace the idea of sustainable and responsible tourism.