DAVAO CITY – The Island Garden City of Samal (IGaCoS) in Davao del Norte will be one of the tourism destinations in the country that will have a Tourist Rest Area.
This as Department of Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco and Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) Chief Operating Officer Mark Lapid led the groundbreaking ceremony of the Samal TRA at the IGaCoS City Hall complex on Friday (Oct. 7).
Budgeted at P7-million each the Tourist Rest Area will have clean, world class comfort rooms, alongside several amenities such as a coffee shop, pasalubong center, tourist information center and charging stations.
“In our listening tours across the 16 regions, Samal was identified as one of the emerging destinations and by putting up this tourism rest area we believe that we will build confidence in the area, attract more tourists and assist local government units in its efforts towards making tourism flourish,” Sec. Frasco said during the groundbreaking.
The DOT Secretary said it is very important that tourists be given a place to rest, use a comfort room and buy local products.
“This the first in a series of groundbreakings for our tourist rest areas which we intend to put all over the country… In line with the vision of President Bongbong Marcos Jr. for the tourism industry to become one of the major economic pillars for the Philippines’ resurgence post pandemic, we have begun the work of recovery,” Sec. Frasco said.
The DOT Secretary said the groundbreaking of the tourist rest areas is the manifestation of the seriousness of the intention to fully open Mindanao to tourism.
The DOT and TIEZA are eyeing to initially put up 10 TRAs all over the country. (PIA/RG Alama)
GOTO DAVAO - LIFE IS HERE 