Davao Tourism Association unveils its 'Davao Tourism Passport'
Are you ready to seek out the beauties of Davao?
By Poch Eulalia
READY TO TRAVEL A look at the Davao Tourist Passport to be shown at HTX 2025. (Photo courtesy of Davao Tourism Association's Facebook page)
No, Davao isn't becoming its own country.
A tourism passport is a local initiative that encourages travelers to check out tourist hotspots and support local businesses in the area. Often, when completing a certain milestone by visiting said areas, the traveler receives perks or discounts from participating businesses.
Recently, a Facebook post by the Davao Tourism Association teased its design for a new tourism passport. It's set to be unveiled at the HTX Hospitality & Tourism Experience Student Conference today at the Grand Regal Hotel. Its cover design shows the Davao region in yellow over a blue background. Comments on the post consistently joked about Davao breaking away from the Philippines.
Tourism passports have already been popping up throughout various locations nationwide. Other local places with such initiatives include Cavite and Vigan. Mechanics often have travelers bring along their mini passports to the participating destinations to have them stamped. Once they go through all the listed locations, they can receive the perks listed. These practices seem similar to the ones in Japan, where tourists can visit tourist spots and collect stamps from each area they visit. Often, they can be found in train stations, museums, and heritage destinations.
There is hope that this initiative can allow travelers to discover more of the Davao region and share their stories.