Mati City eyes improvements in agri-tourism

DAVAO CITY--Aside from the development of famous beaches in Mati City, Davao Oriental, Mayor Michelle Rabat is also eyeing the development of parks and restaurants, as well as promoting agriculture, and culture and arts.

In the inaugural meeting of the revitalized Mati Tourism Council on Monday morning, the lady mayor stressed the need for other sectors of the tourism industry to be developed.

“These sectors are in dire need of improvement and support from the city government,” Rabat said.

The tourism officials identified the Mayo Cacao farm, Goat Farm, Menzi plantation, and coconut plantations as possible farm tourism destinations in the city.

Meanwhile, the hotel and resort owners’ association appealed for the creation of a tourism website for Mati City that will host all of the local tourism-related social media pages and websites for a centralized flow of all information for local and foreign tourists.

The City Information Office (CIO) meanwhile informed the tourism industry stakeholders that it will soon be coming up with such a website and is now coordinating with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) for the reactivation of the official website www.mati.gov.ph.

The resort and hotel association also asked for the standardization of all resorts and hotels and the creation of an accrediting body that would oversee the hotel and resort industry in the city.

It was learned that Mati City has only 520 rooms at the moment that could cater to only around 2,000 guests at a given time.

The council said it will conduct more planning sessions to address the various concerns of the stakeholders and map out a plan on how to improve the tourism industry in the city. (PNA)