SMX Convention Center, Lanang, Davao City
July 14, 2017
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte joined the delegates of the 11th Ambassadors’ Tour Philippine Reception at the SMX Convention Center in Davao City.
The activity was organized to enable both Filipinos and Americans to experience the beauty of the Philippines’ top tourist destinations and witness the remarkable progress that has been achieved in the past years.
The delegates are from Hawaii, Agana, Washington D.C., Chicago, San Francisco, New York City, and Los Angeles.
This year’s tour took place from July 11-16, 2017 commencing in Manila then onwards to a four-day visit in Davao City. The President’s hometown was highlighted to increase awareness and strengthen confidence in Mindanao, particularly Davao City, as a wholesome and safe destination for tourism, trade, and, investment.
It also aimed to showcase the beauty, services and facilities of Davao to the international market; intensify support and cooperation from the overseas Filipinos in helping build a stronger nation; serve as a platform to touch base with Filipino communities and enlist them as agents of promotion of Philippine tourism, specifically to invite or influence more ‘kababayans’ and foreigners alike to visit and/or invest in the Philippines; and increase the arrivals of overseas Filipinos and ‘balikbayans’ to 10 percent.
In his message, President Duterte expressed his gratitude to the delegates on the 11th year of the tour, saying, “This serves as a special homecoming program for you so that you can share with your colleagues your success as our country’s most respectable representatives in the United States. I hope that you’d enjoy your visits to the country’s top tourist destinations in Manila and Davao and you witness the city’s remarkable progress in the past few years.”
He added, “You shall bring with you the message to the rest of the world that the Philippines made significant strides in developing in its trade, investments, tourism, and cultural sectors, and in making our country a safer and more secured place to live. May you continue to help our government in promoting the Philippines as an ideal location for business to thrive as a great destination for tourists to experience. Together, let us make it a nation that you can be proud to call our own.”
In 2004, the Philippine Foreign Service Posts in the United States of America and Canada, together with the Department of Tourism (DOT), conceptualized the flagship project called the Ambassadors, Consul Generals and Tourism Directors’ Tour (ACGTDT) to the Philippines.
ACGTDT launched its first tour to the Philippines in 2005 with more than five hundred (500) participants coming from all over the United States of America and Canada. In 2014, Filipino-Canadians organized a separate event called ‘Team Canada Winter Escapade to the Philippines.’
Among the attendees who graced the reception were Tourism (DOT) Undersecretary Katherine De Castro, Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, Tourism Promotions Board Chief Operation Officer Cesar Montano, several Consul Generals and Embassy personnel designated in Davao City.
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