DAVAO CITY – The Davao City government is pursuing the revival of direct air connectivity with Malaysia to expand international tourism, attract more visitors, and strengthen business ties with neighboring Southeast Asian markets.

Davao City Tourism Operations Office head Willenito Tormis told Manila Bulletin that the city is currently in discussions with Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Australia, and other countries to improve international access.

“The city is looking to revive direct flights between Kuala Lumpur and Davao City and establish a possible Manado–Davao route,” Tormis said during the Visit Malaysia 2026 Destination Seminar on Thursday, Aug. 20, at Dusit Thani Residence Davao.

According to the tourism official, the city has been coordinating with Malaysian counterparts and airline stakeholders about the direct flights. However, no definite timeline has been set for the return of the Kuala Lumpur–Davao route, he added.

“The challenge is showing enough passenger demand in both directions to support a direct route,” Tormis said. “While many Davao residents want to travel to Malaysia, Davao also needs to attract enough Malaysian tourists to make the route viable.”

To increase demand, the city is developing tourism products and promotional activities, including roadshows in Malaysia, festival promotions, and a Davao halal mapping project aimed at making the city more accessible to Muslim travelers.

The initiative was highlighted during Malaysia’s Sales Mission in Davao on the same day, which featured a destination seminar, Malaysia My Second Home, and business‑to‑business meetings with local tourism stakeholders.

Lee Thai Hung, deputy director general of Malaysia Tourism, said in a separate interview that the Sales Mission is part of ongoing promotional activities in Manila, Davao, and Cebu, held in connection with the Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign.

The event brought 21 Malaysian tourism sellers—from travel agencies, hotels and resorts, medical tourism providers, and the Islamic Tourism Center—to meet with local tourism businesses and build direct business connections between Malaysia and Davao.

Hung said stronger air connectivity between Malaysia and Davao would depend on steady passenger demand from both sides and closer cooperation among tourism stakeholders, travel agencies, and airlines.

“We encourage Philippine tourism businesses to promote Davao’s destinations and travel products in Malaysia, while Malaysian tourism operators seek to promote their destinations to Davao‑based travel agencies,” Hung said.

The Malaysia Tourism official added that business matching is expected to help local travel operators establish direct contact with Malaysian suppliers and develop tour packages without relying heavily on intermediaries.

Malaysia seeks more Filipino tourists

Hung emphasized that Malaysia is promoting a range of tourism products to Filipino travelers, including family attractions, highland destinations, beaches, food, and religious and cultural tourism.

The Malaysian delegation also highlighted destinations outside Kuala Lumpur, including Genting Highlands and Ipoh, as well as areas offering ecotourism, gastronomy, theme parks, and other leisure activities.

He said tourism operators are also creating experience‑based trips as travelers look for activities beyond sightseeing. One example is coffee tourism, which combines Malaysian coffee culture with food and local experiences.

“Malaysia is also promoting its My Second Home program, which offers qualified foreign participants options for long‑term residence, education, property ownership, and, under certain categories, business activities,” Hung said.

Hung also highlighted Malaysia’s multicultural heritage, influenced by Malay, Chinese, Indian, and other cultures. He said the country is promoting religious and heritage tourism, including halal‑friendly food, historic mosques, churches, and other heritage sites.

The Philippines remained among Malaysia’s top 10 international tourist markets in 2025, according to Hung, who said stronger business engagement and destination promotion could further increase Filipino arrivals.

Hung noted that this Sales Mission follows a previous business‑to‑business session in Davao in May 2023. He added that they plan to continue participating in Philippine travel exhibitions and other industry events to maintain ties with local tourism stakeholders.

This year’s Sales Mission covers Manila, Davao, and Cebu, with Davao serving as one of three key Philippine stops for the Malaysian delegation to promote tourism products and strengthen business ties with local stakeholders.

Hung said the event also comes as the Philippines prepares to take over the Association of Southeast Asian Nations chairmanship, highlighting efforts to boost regional cooperation, tourism exchanges, and economic ties in Southeast Asia.

Tourism officials from Davao and Malaysia said stronger tourism exchanges could boost passenger demand for a future direct Kuala Lumpur–Davao route and create more opportunities for tourism businesses in both markets.