NEWSFLASH

JAPAN TRAVEL WARNING EXCLUDES DAVAO

Davao City, June 13, 2000 - A travel advisory recently released by the Japan-Philippine Advisory Council rated Davao City positively, boosting the city’s image, which was affected by the recent peace and order crisis in some areas of Mindanao.

Japan-Philippine Advisory Council chair Tsuguru Dobachi reported that the situation in Mindanao has not affected the Japan-Philippine tourist traffic.

Philippine Airlines manager for Japan Bong Velazquez supported Dobashi’s claim saying that there is no apparent decrease in the airline’s load factor of any of its flights from Japan to the country.

Japan Airlines deputy vice president for Japan Regional International Passenger Sales Planning, Eiji Takaji, also reported that there were no cancellations of trips or reduction of passengers from Japan to the Philippines following the recent conflict between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Davao has been identified by the Philippine government as an emerging tourist destination. Based on the country’s national tourism master plan, Davao will be developed into Mindanao’s travel hub, with the Davao International Airport as the main gateway to the island region.

The airport will be expanded in the mold of Cebu’s Mactan International Airport to enable it to accommodate more commercial flights.

In a related development, eight pupils from various schools in Davao City will be representing the Philippines at a children’s summit on June 17 in Nago City, Okinawa, Japan.

City mayor Benjamin de Guzman said the young pupils will act as “little Davao ambassadors” and help show the world the beauty of Davao. The children won their trip to Japan in a composition writing contest about saving the environment, sponsored by the Japan-Philippines Volunteers Foundation.

The eight children were chosen from among thousands of pupils from the 70 schools in Davao which participated in the competition.