16th National Convention of the Association of Tourism Officers in the Philippines Kicks Off in Davao

Davao City CTOO O-I-C, Lisette Marques, with Negros Island Region Officers Ian de Ramos and Jennylind Demerre-Cordero

DAVAO, Philippines - The delegates to the 16th National Convention of the Association of Tourism Officers in the Philippines (ATOP)  arrived in Davao City the other day for yesterday's big-bang opening at the SMX Convention Center, Lanang.

Tourism officers, tourism council members, and tourism private stakeholders from Luzon to Mindanao gathered yesterday to begin discussions on areas of improvement and boost the tourist destinations int he country.

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte attended the formal opening of the event to welcome visitors in Mindanao who dressed in their traditional/cultural attire.

The Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) Davao program of the City Tourism Operation Office (CTOO) will also be launched during the three-day convention. One of the highlights of the program is its partnership with airline company, Air Asia.

"This is only one of the initiatives of the city to push for a sound tourism and to attract businessmen and travelers to go here", said CTOO officer-in-charge Lisette Marques.

Other topics included during the convention are the world tourism theme in the Philippine context and greening the tourism value chain. A speaker form Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia will talk about Islamic and Halal tourism.