THE Department of Tourism (DOT) will initiate a Mindanao Dive Congress in Davao City next year, an official said.
DOT Assistant Secretary Eden David said, in a phone interview with VoxPop Davao, the congress is aimed at featuring the various dive sites of the island-region and sessions on macro photography and marine life conservations efforts.
Last week, Davao region has strengthened its position as a diving destination in the country following the four-day visit of 30 divers and underwater photographers of Hong Kong Chinese, Taiwanese, Australian, Korean, and Malaysian in Samal, Davao del Sur during the Fun Dive Safari last November 14 to 17.
David said the foreign divers and underwater photographers visited various spots of Davao Gulf including Tagpopongan, Balet, Kaputian, Canibad, Liguid Island, among others for fun diving experiences and to photograph the different underwater species.
“Known for its rich marine biodiversity, the Davao Gulf is an excellent site for underwater macro photography especially with the superb visibility in the diving sites. The tourism industry has been banking on this growing tourism niche to position the region as a sports tourism hub,” she said.
At present, the diving niche is one of the growing tourist markets with a Global Dive Market Population estimated at 24 million.
DOT Hong Kong Marketing representative market David Leung said Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo has tasked the office to bring in top notch dive photographers to include National Geographic and Unesco Hong Kong Association to explore Samal and Talicud in a Fun Dive Safari.
The Fun Dive Safari is among the various activities organized by the tourism department to promote the region as a diving destination.
Last October, DOT conducted Underwater Photography Spotters Training for advanced open water divers in Davao.
For the Philippines, the top five source markets for diving are Korea, US, Germany, Australia, and Hong Kong.
“Davao has been identified as one of the emerging destinations for diving. Divers are adventurous market and constantly seek new dive sites to explore. With Hong Kong as our target for international connection in 2017, we aim to build our products for the Hong Kong tourist market and this includes diving,” David said.
Also, an exhibit at the international gateways in Hong Kong is being staged to showcase the underwater photos taken from the Fun Dive Safari last week.
