The Department of Tourism (DOT) said that Japan’s lowering of travel advisory levels to some parts of Mindanao is a welcome move for the country’s local tourism industry and will secure gains in terms of tourism revenue and livelihood generation in tourism-related industries.
This follows the advisory from Japan’s Foreign Ministry easing travel to certain areas in the Philippines among its residents recently.
According to the revised classification, the Davao region, composed of Davao Oriental, Davao de Oro, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, and Davao Occidental, was lowered from Level 2 to Level 1. These areas now join the cities of Mati, Tagum, Samal, Davao, and Digos, which remain at Level 1.
The Province of Misamis Oriental was downgraded from Level 2 to Level 1. Cagayan de Oro City, Jasaan, Villanueva, and Tagoloan have remained at Level 1.
In the Caraga Region, Surigao City, a component city of the provincial capital, was also lowered from Level 2 to Level 1, joining the Siargao Islands at Level 1.
While in the Soccsksargen region, the eastern part of Sarangani Province, which is Malungon, Alabel, Malapatan, and Glan was lowered from Level 3 to Level 2.
Level 1 travel advisory advises Japanese travelers to take extra care; Level 2 means refrain from traveling if non-essential and non-urgent; while Level 3 refrains traveling at any time.
As a response, Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco shares her optimism in the lowering of the advisory levels.
“This is a significant move that attests to the improved safety and security in the region as an aim to bolster tourism not only in the usual destinations.”
“We are grateful to the Government of Japan for this downgrading of the travel advisory in parts of Mindanao. This is a significant move that attests to the improved safety and security in the region as an aim to bolster tourism not only in the usual destinations but most importantly, in the emerging and lesser-known ones. This is also a fulfillment of the formal pact we had with the Department of National Defense and the Department of the Interior and Local Government when Zamboanga City bore witness to the first-ever Mindanao Tourism Convergence last year which aims to promote the region as a peaceful and viable destination both for domestic and international travelers,” Frasco said.
The tourism chief noted that it would further boost the country’s tourism revenue, with partially estimated visitor receipts accounting for P712 billion from January 01 to December 15, 2024, representing a 119 percent recovery rate from the 2019 pre-pandemic numbers.
“With this move from Japan, we wish that other nations will follow suit as the Philippines offers so much more than our sun and beach destinations.”
“Allowing foreigners to visit Mindanao likewise clearly manifests that the current administration promotes an inclusive environment that fosters equal growth and opportunities for Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. With this move from Japan, we wish that other nations will follow suit as the Philippines offers so much more than our sun and beach destinations. The milestones we have achieved this year are a product of our hard work, and the arrivals of foreign guests mean jobs and livelihoods for our people. The DOT wishes to replicate, if not, surpass, those figures,” she noted.
As of December 28, 2024, Japan ranks as the third country to deliver the highest tourist arrivals into the country, with 378,935 visitors.
As one of the key tourism markets of the Philippines, the DOT, through its foreign and regional offices, is working together by luring Japanese travelers to visit Mindanao in particular by promoting Davao and Siargao Island to experience its gastronomy, culture, beach, and surfing scenes. In Northern Mindanao, the Japanese are fond of golfing, swimming, and diving; some also do birdwatching.
Among the efforts being done by the DOT to bolster revenue and arrivals for the tourism industry include the launching of the Philippine Dive Experience, a new tourism program to showcase the Philippines’ unparalleled underwater landscapes and promote sustainable diving practices that benefit local communities while safeguarding the nation’s natural marine heritage, and the Philippine Experience program, a cultural tourism program also piloted under the current administration that aims to promote the Philippines’ culture, heritage, and arts through thematic and immersive tours.
