During the last three years numbers of tourists in Dumaguete grew from 529,414 in 2016, to 651,115 in 2017, to 704,689 in 2018, and this year's figures promise to be even more impressive.
Between 2016 and 2019, Dumaguete City and the province of Negros Oriental hosted a variety of local, regional, national and international sporting events that continuously attracted growing numbers of visitors to the region.
Sports tourism, a separate category of travel aimed at participation or viewing of sporting events and activities, is a fast-growing industry. A higher level of interest to such events and activities means higher occupancy rates for hotels and resorts, bigger demand for food, supplies, transportation services, boosting local economies.
In 2017 and 2018, Dumaguete City was crowned as the Philippines Best Sports Tourism Organizer and in 2017 it was a Runner-up as the Sports Tourism Destination of the country.
In 2020, the Asean Schools Games will be held in Dumaguete City and Negros Oriental. The Games are expected to attract not only hundreds of outstanding student-athletes from 11-member countries of Southeast Asia but also thousands of fans, family members, and tourists.
Dumaguete Bets on Sports Tourism
News in Asia
Dumaguete City government attributes the steady growth of tourist arrivals to the area during the recent years to the increasing popularity of sports tourism.