Cultural fest to promote Davao City in Singapore

THE Department of Tourism (DOT) 11 is all set for the staging of the Davao Cultural Festival 2014 in Singapore on July 15 to 20, 2014 in a bid to promote Davao City to Singaporeans and other foreign markets.

“This is basically our tourism business mission to Singapore highlighting the role of Davao City in Mindanao tourism development and Philippines tourism development,” DOT Asec. Arturo P. Boncato Jr. said in a press conference at the Marco Polo Hotel Davao yesterday.

The event aims to promote and market Davao City as one of the preferred tourism and investment destinations in the AsiaPacific region; to sustain or increase air traffic between Davao City and Singapore, and to push the gains of the first Davao mission to generate more tourists from or via Singapore.

He said the event will have two major components – the Davao Food Festival and the Business to Business (B2B) Meetings.

The food festival will be held at the Conrad Centennial Hotel wherein recipes from the 10 tribes of Davao City will be featured prepared by Marco Polo Davao’s chefs, headed by Chef Ed Tuazon. DOT is also bringing in the Kalumon Ensemble to perform.

Marco Polo Davao general manager Anthony Tan said their chefs will be “translating” the recipes that will fit the taste buds of the Singaporeans and other foreigners. They have also asked Conrad Centennial Hotel to get all the ingredients as much as possible so that the recipes will remain authentic.

The B2B meetings will be held at the Pan Pacific Hotel where hotel and tour operators from Davao City and Singapore will meet to discuss business arrange- ments.

Davao City Tourism Operations Office (CTOO) officer-in-charge Lisette Marques said the conduct of the event is very timely.

The Davao delegation will include representatives from DOT 11, CTOO, 829 One World Travel Express, Bloomers Travel and Tours, Dizerline Travel and Tours, Surelite Travel and Tours, Silkair Singapore, Marco Polo Davao, Microtel Hotel, Seda Abreeza Hotel, and SM Hotels and Conventions.

Event partners include Silk Air, Marco Polo Hotel, Conrad Centennial Hotel, and the City Government of Davao.