DEPARTMENT of Tourism Undersecretary Katherine de Castro on Friday attended the international conference on sports and tourism organized by the UN World Tourism Organization in Da Nang City, Vietnam on the occasion of the 5th Asian Beach Games.
The conference, with “Cooperation on Tourism and Sports for Mutual Development and Friendship” as its theme, runs until Sunday and will focus on the development of tourism with the involvement of sporting activities, mutual relations between sports and tourism, as well as contributions of sports tourism to the sustainable development of a nation.
The event will be attended by UNWTO Sec. Gen. Taleb Rafai, about 300 leaders of tourism organizations, tourism enterprises, sporting officials, investors, and lecturers, among others.
The conference is relevant to DoT’s aim to position the country as a preferred outdoor travel destination with main focus on diving.
Currently, the Philippines has a 1.7 percent market share of the 7.3- million active divers worldwide.
Other popular adventure destinations and activities in the country are surfing in Siargao, whitewater rafting in Cagayan de Oro, wakeboarding in Camarines Sur, and volcanic climbing in Albay.