The City Government of Davao expects close to 200,000 tourist arrivals for August 2023, when the 38th Kadayawan Festival will be held.
City Tourism Operations Office (CTOO) officer-in-charge Jennifer Romero, during the ISpeak Media Forum on Thursday, June 29, said, “For this year’s Kadayawan, we expect tourist arrivals to increase. We target 180,000 to 200,000 tourists in August.”
She also said the City Government of Davao has allocated a P65-million budget for the staging of this year’s festival.
The P12 million will come from the trust fund/sponsorships while the rest of the budget will be shouldered by the city government.
Aside from the attractive cash prizes at stake in major official Kadayawan events, she said the Kadayawan Execom also approved the budget for some repairs needed at the Kadayawan Village, which she said will be the center of the celebration.
“As for the renovation, we will check with the City Engineer’s Office, how much will be the needed amount. It varies in each house,” Romero said. As the tribal houses also vary in size, the needed repairs for each may also differ.
She said they will just prioritize what needs to be fixed for each tribal house.
She also said each of the 11 tribes represented in the Kadayawan Village will also receive a subsidy of P250,000 for their performances, food, and showcase during the weeklong celebration that kicks off on August 10.
Romero said the 38th Kadayawan Festival logo and theme will be presented during a media launch.
“If you would notice our Facebook page, teaser pa lang sya. We will announce soon the final date of the media launch depending on the availability of our city mayor,” she said.
Cash prizes for festival events, according to her, remained the same as last year and only the Indak-Indak, a street dancing competition, was moved from morning to afternoon due to the usual high heat index the city has been experiencing. The grand showdown will still be at San Pedro Square, which will then be covered so participants won’t be drenched when it rains.
Romero, however, added: “Hopefully, it will not rain.”
The Pamulak (floral float parade) and the Hudyaka will still be in the morning.
She said that Kadayawan Festival preparations are nearly 70 percent complete. They are just awaiting the processing of vital documents but on-the-ground preparations are just within the time frame.
For more Kadayawan Festival updates, visit https://www.facebook.com/TheKadayawanFestival. CIO
