The Department of Tourism in the Caraga Region (DOT-13) welcomes the lowering of travel advisory of the U.S. in Mindanao, including Siargao Island and Dinagat Islands, earlier this month.

In a phone interview Friday, DOT-13 Director Ivonnie Dumadag said the move of the US government is in time for the upcoming events slated in Siargao Island, such as the international surfing competition in October.

Dumadag said the lowering of travel advisory will also encourage more tourism and economic activities and boost confidence among potential visitors in Siargao and Dinagat Islands.

“The US is our top international market based on tourist arrival reports in the last two years, and we are looking forward to higher arrivals this year,” she said.

Data sent by DOT-13 to the Philippine News Agency on Friday showed that US tourists topped the list of foreign guests in the Caraga Region in 2023 with 8,938 visits, followed by Spain with 5,618, France with 3,993, UK with 3,911, and Australia with 3,851.

“Our Tourism secretary, Christina Garcia Frasco, has been relentlessly promoting not just in Caraga Region but the entire Mindanao,” Dumadag said.

This was demonstrated, she said, when DOT and the Department of National Defense and the Department of the Interior and Local Government signed a memorandum of agreement last year to boost Mindanao’s tourism industry.

“Our local government units have likewise done their share by ensuring the safe and memorable travel of both our domestic and foreign tourists through their active involvement in the tourism sector,” Dumadag said.

The US Department of State lowered the travel advisory levels in some parts of Mindanao on May 16, which includes Davao City, Davao del Norte, Siargao Island, and Dinagat Islands. (PNA)