THE DEPARTMENT of Tourism (DOT) XI and the Davao Travel Agency Association (DTAA) encouraged traveling Davaoeños to transact only with accredited enterprises in the city.
During the PEP Talks forum on Jan. 16, DTAA head Pia Partoza said several tour operators in the region are still operating and offering their services without proper licenses.
“We have constantly monitored, especially on in-bounds, because there are a lot of tour operators who are really operating tours without the proper licenses,” Partoza said.
Partoza said, “These accommodations might come out cheaper as one would only travel for transportation, however, no accountabilities will be secured if any incidents might occur.”
“Wala pa naman kaming nabalitaan (in Davao City) after the pandemic ‘nung mga nag-issue ng ticket pero hindi nakalipad. So far, wala pa,” she said.
She said fly-by-night operators might take advantage of the region’s revitalized tourism industry to dupe travelers.
DOT XI regional director Tanya Rabat-Tan also encouraged the public to transact with accredited enterprises that are listed and pinned on their Facebook page and official website.
“You can always refer to that list because these are updated DOT-accredited lists. Kapag hindi accredited or fly-by-night, wala talagang accountability,” Tan said.
The DOT XI Facebook page listed 359 accredited enterprises, consisting of hotels, resorts, travel accommodations and agencies, tours, facilities, restaurants, and farm sites, to make traveling “memorable and a worry-free journey for all.”
