The regional tourism office in the Davao Region is bent on pushing for the development of bike tourism in their vast area.
Department of Tourism Region XI (DOT XI) Regional Director Tanya Rabat Tan said the area has so much activities related to biking that could help in the expansion of the tourism business in the region.
“Marami tayong mga trails (we have many trails), we are now working with the local government units, I know Davao de Oro would want to push for that activities. It is included in our circuit development,” Tan told the Philippine Information Agency.
One of the popular spots among avid trail bikers is the Lantaw Dabaw, an elevated bike stop located in Barangay Dalagdag in Calinan which affords bikers with a commanding vista of Davao City and Davao del Norte.
Couple Dax and Sheika Abubakar Cañedo who founded the Mindanao Film Festival are known to be passionate trail bikers who discovered several breathtaking sceneries just around Davao City thru biking.
“Trail biking is addictive because you get to see so many beautiful places. This is the reason many people are going trail biking,” said Dax.
Avid cyclist Igy Castrillo, who works in public relations and book publishing said bike tourism in Davao can become a very viable attraction for both local and foreign tourists.
“Besides the usual routes that highlight the beauty of Davao's natural environment, we can also do historical tours of structures, obelisks and markers that date back to our pre-war American and Japanese times,” says Castillo.
Castrillo says he is helping DOT-XI in developing routes of bike tours which involves visits to natural scenic spots and also historical sites in and around Davao City.
Last year the local government of Davao City thru its City Transportation and Traffic Management Office (CTTMO) has demarcated bike lanes in major thoroughfares around the city and which has been used by many cyclists.