DEPARTMENT of Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco and Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority Chief Operating Officer Mark T. Lapid led the groundbreaking ceremony for the Tourist Service Center and Rest Area that will soon rise at the government complex in Penaplata, the Island Garden City of Samal in Davao del Norte.
As tourism kickstarts a strong comeback, the DOT is determined to set a much improved overall tourism experience with the construction of the said facility.
“The tourist rest area in Samal will provide visitors with a relaxing and comfortable travel as they visit your island. We have always believed in the potential of Samal to become a key tourist destination in the country,” the secretary said in the vernacular during the ceremony in IGACOS.
The tourist pit stop is the first to be built in Southern Mindanao and one of the ten pioneering tourist rest areas to be constructed by DOT across the archipelago. It will have an information kiosk, pasalubong center, clean restrooms and space for rest for tourists. The DOT secretary has previously revealed that the rest areas will “adopt local materials and design elements that will herald the Filipino brand”.
Mindanao Development Authority chair Maria Belen S. Acosta, Davao del Norte Vice Governor De Carlo L. Uy, Davao del Norte 2nd District Representative Alan R. Dujali, IGACOS Mayor Al David T. Uy, Vice Mayor Lemuel T. Reyes and joined Frasco and Lapid in the ceremony and MOA signing.
IGACOS, one of Davao Region’s premier tourism destinations, is known for its white sand beaches, scuba, snorkeling and freediving sites, adventure trails, and world-class resorts.
