Davao City wins two national tourism citations for Kadayawan video and cultural village

Davao City's official Kadayawan Festival 2025 video placed second runner-up for Best Tourism Promotions Video at the 2026 Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines (Atop) Pearl Awards, according to Sun Star.

City Tourism Operations Office (CTOO) head Willenito P. Tormis Jr. presented the trophy and a second citation to the Davao City Council during its regular session at the Sangguniang Panlungsod Building on Tuesday, Oct. 27. The second citation named the city a finalist for Best Practices on Sustainable Tourism at the highly urbanized city level for "Kagikan: The Kadayawan Cultural Village" at Magsaysay Park.

The City Information Office said the awards were given out on Oct. 21 during the 28th Atop National Convention in Ormoc City, Leyte. Atop's website says both entries were among 201 finalists chosen from 606 entries across 15 categories nationwide, with this year's awards covering tourism programs and materials from 2025.

According to the City Information Office, the video was cited for showing the city's 11 tribes and festival scenes. Kagikan, which displays the traditional houses of the 11 groups, was recognised for promoting sustainable tourism. Tormis said the awards reflect efforts to preserve the culture of the city's 11 ethnolinguistic groups, adding that "Davao has more story to tell to the world."

For 2027, Tormis said the CTOO will focus on community-based tourism, halal tourism and a revision of the city's tourism code. The office is preparing a halal tourism map to attract visitors from Muslim countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia, noting that the city already has halal-friendly hotels and restaurants.

Under the community-based tourism programme, the CTOO is drafting a framework for sites run by local cooperatives and associations. Tormis said the office wants these sites to be tourist-ready, not merely accredited, before it promotes them.

The office also plans to take festivals to barangays and districts outside downtown and to create more venues for local talent. "We want to bring the festivals to different parts of Davao City," Tormis said. With 2027 marking the 90th Araw ng Davao, the CTOO hopes to make Kadayawan bigger.

Plans for this year's Pasko Fiesta, themed "One Light, One Heart, One City," are being finalised and will roll out after Undas, Tormis said. The CTOO is encouraging establishments and barangays to put up their own decorations and plans to feature barangay singers and dancers.