Dinagat, Cebu tourism surpass 1 million arrivals

Four years after Typhoon “Odette” (international name: Rai) devastated Dinagat Islands, the province’s vibrant tourism industry is back on its feet, attracting over one million tourists who pumped in revenues worth at least half a billion pesos. 

Gov. Nilo Demerey Jr. highlighted the island-province’s post-disaster recovery milestones during the 20th foundation anniversary of Dinagat Islands on Oct. 3.

Demerey traced the turnaround to institutional roadmaps rolled out by the provincial government, starting with the “Remedy” agenda drafted in 2022 and later refined into the target-specific “Remedy Targets” platform in 2025.

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Tourism emerged as the primary growth engine for the island. 

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Official data presented during the address showed annual visitor arrivals leaping from 144,228 in 2022 to an unprecedented 1.121 million by December 2025, an increase of 677 percent. 

Odette devastated the Dinagat Islands in December 2021, leaving a trail of destruction that killed 14 people and completely destroyed 14,000 houses.

Demerey said the tourist arrivals in the three years to 2025 generated an estimated P545 million in gross revenues to the island’s tourism and allied industries.

Hospitality sector

 The sustained tourist influx stimulated the local hospitality sector, driving a 35-percent expansion in lodging establishments, from 54 to 73, he added.

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“Concurrently, the Department of Tourism-accredited travel and tour operators climbed more than tenfold, from just three in 2022 to 39 in 2025,” the governor said.

Provincial planners attributed the growth to low-cost, high-impact interisland routes, particularly the roll-on, roll-off ships and passenger links connecting Del Carmen in Siargao to Cagdianao in Dinagat, alongside closer integration with the Surigao City, Surigao del Norte tourism circuit.

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In Cebu province, more than 1 million tourists were also recorded in the first eight months of 2026, with foreign visitors accounting for over 242,000 arrivals, according to data released by the Cebu Provincial Government.

The Provincial Tourism Office (PTO) recorded 1,080,809 tourist arrivals from January to August, reflecting continued activity in Cebu’s tourism sector as the province steps up promotions and pushes for more direct international flights.

Domestic travelers continued to make up the bulk of visitors, with 838,575 arrivals during the eight-month period.

Foreign arrivals reached 242,108, or roughly 22 percent of the total.

The Capitol said the latest figures were higher than the 958,317 arrivals recorded during the same period in 2025, representing a 12.78-percent increase.

Domestic arrivals rose 9.19 percent year on year, while international arrivals increased by 27.28 percent, according to the PTO.

Among Cebu’s towns and cities covered by the provincial data, Cordova attracted the most visitors at 171,552, followed by the northern Cebu destinations of Santa Fe on Bantayan Island with 120,197 and Daanbantayan with 59,435.

South Korea remained the province’s largest foreign tourist market, accounting for 60,518 arrivals. The United States followed with 22,866 visitors, while Japan ranked third with 22,223.

The provincial government attributed the tourism performance partly to efforts to market Cebu domestically while improving its international connectivity.

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Gov. Pamela Baricuatro has pushed for more direct international flights to Cebu, including during engagements with foreign officials and tourism stakeholders. INQ