FIRST TOURISM ESTATE OPENS THIS YEAR
Davao City, April 15, 1998 - Samal Island, the first tourism estate in the country, will be operational this year, according to an announcement by Tourism Secretary Mina Gabor.
Gabor said the project is the Philippines' first tourism cooperative undertaking in collaboration with Ekran Berhad, an investment group based in Malaysia. The estate has 300 rooms and will provide employment and livelihood opportunities for the residents of three municipalities that comprise the island.
The resort will boost the domestic tourism industry, which has been hampered by limited countryside infrastructure services.
The tourism secretary enumerated the achievements of the Ramos administration in the field of tourism, particularly the annual growth rate of 16% in tourism arrivals from 1992 to 1997.
The World Tourism Organization reported in 1996 that the Philippines posted the highest growth rate in annual tourist arrivals in Asia.
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