Davao City (3 August) -- Davao City won the bid to host the Asean Tourism Forum (ATF) in 2007.

Davao Tourism Association president and vice chair of the ATF host committee Art Boncato in an interview said they are expecting Department of Tourism Undersecretary Oscar Palabyab to come to Davao City on Thursday (August 4) to update the industry players about the role Davao in the largest travel trade event.

He said Usec Palabyab who will meet the major players of the tourism forum is expected to discuss the preparations and guidelines for the coming event.

"It is a great honor for Davao to be the host and we will make sure that everything is properly handled and leave no stones unturned to make the ATF successful," he said.

However, Boncato said that with the developments in the Asean, the holding of the ATF could be moved earlier in 2006.

He said Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte already committed to support the ATF

As host, he said they will not only be dealing about Davao but the Philippines as a whole.

"Our benchmark is the Cebu hosting in the 90s which was handled well," he said.

According to Boncato, the Philippines is known in the Asean as good in hosting and they will equally do the same this time.

He said the AFT is a major event that will be participated in by ten ASEAN countries where buyers and sellers from over 55 countries meet.

"We are expecting 600 exhibitors where destinations all over the sub region will be showcased," he said.

He said this is our opportunity where our favored destinations will be featured in the travel expo.

Davao City he said is ready for the big event even as he said that they already had identified two possible venues for the exposition.

He said that as early even last year they had started planning and they expect over 3,000 participants to join.

Initially he said an ocular inspection was done with regards to venue, accommodations and transportation.

"About 1,000 rooms is required and we have enough rooms because the city has some 2,180 rooms available," he said.

"There are standards to be followed with regards to hotels, transportation and the venue. This is actually happening here because our service provider are already familiar with the international standards," he added.

Boncato said everybody is very excited about the ATF because it will not only give us a mileage but also provide our destinations access to international market.

He said it is about tine that Davao is also recognize considering that it is slowly being considered as a favored destination in Asia. (PIA/pdbanzon)