Davao Tourism – Just my two cents

I was just talking with a close friend who hasnt been to Davao City. I was enticing him to visit our city when he threw this query to me “What does Davao have that he cant find in other cities”?

I have talked about our beaches, our festivals, ziplines, fruits, mountains, resorts, parks and farms, culture, diving sites, city scenes, malls, bars and bistros, and the like. But come to think of it, these are the same tourist destinations being offered by other cities in the country (plus the fact that it will cost less for travelers from Manila to reach these cities than Davao).

And it makes me wonder, what do we really have that’s eccentric and that we can offer to the rest of the country and even the world?

PROFILE OF A CITY WHERE BUSINESS MIXES WITH LEISURE

A special report from Manila Times
Source

IN Davao, size has always mattered.

It is one of the biggest city in the world, at 2,443 square kilometers, or 36,916 hectares.

It is home to over 1.4 million people and Mount Apo, the country’s highest peak; the Philippine eagle, the world’s largest raptor; and the waling-waling, the queen mother of orchids.

Seven out of 10 Davaoeños live in the largest urban market in the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area.

Claiming to be Mindanao’s de facto capital, it is the country’s southern gateway to the 51-million market Southeast Asian growth hub.

Exports were estimated at $797.6 million last year. Worth $496 million in 2008 and $417 in 2007, local bananas composed 66 percent of the country’s export, the third largest in the world.

In 2008, the major exports were 2.1 billion kilograms of fresh bananas worth $496.2 million; 181 million kg of fresh and canned pineapples; rubber, banana chips, activated carbon, dessicated coconut, gold with silver, tuna, charcoal, coconut oil and cement.

The largest destinations: Japan (41 percent of all goods), the Middle East, China, South Korea and the US.

The top major crops are coconut (212,438 metric tons in 2007), banana (205,333 MT), durian (24,895 MT), pineapple (21,088 MT), mango (9,492) and coffee (4,793 MT).

The city supplies 60 percent of the country’s cut-flower market, nearly a million dozens each year.

With a literacy rate of 95.17 percent, one of the highest in Asia, more than half of its 17- to 24-year-old are in school, again among the highest enrollments in Asia.

It has the country’s highest ratio of colleges to population—with 42 colleges (out of 46 in Mindanao). Three of them are the country’s top 20: Ateneo de Davao, University of the Philippines in Mindanao and San Pedro College.

New real estate projects in Davao City

Inspite of the global financial crisis, Davao’s real estate and construction industry is in boom. Below are the new and current real estate projects in the city.

- Camella’s condominium complex – it will be consist of mid rise condominiums buildings. This will be located in Bajada.

- few subdivision projects for mid level markets such as Samantha Homes and another subdivision in the city with an initial investment of 120 million pesos.

- A condotel within Chinatown, few meters away from Central Park Hotel – a new hotel which is currently underconstruction.

Other real estate projects (incomplete list)

- Noblesse Heights (condominium project)
- Magallanese Residences  (condominium project)
- One Oasis Davao  (condominium project)
- condo building across Chimes Mall
- etc.

Davao Doctors’s Second Medical Tower

Davao Doctors Hospital will embark on another expansion project this year. They will be constructing a second medical tower which will be constructed few meters away from the existing medical tower. Initial reports said that the medical tower will be around 14 storeys.

Another NCCC Mall outlet in Lanang

Info about the Ayala Center in Davao called Abreeza was first posted here in NeoDavao even before the local media knew and heard about it. Posts about the up and coming SM in Lanang was also posted first here in NeoDavao before the rumor started to revolve around the city. And Robinsons Cybergate Davao was first announced here in NeoDavao and the rendering was first posted here even before other bloggers blogged about it. So what’s new? well, here we go……

Another NCCC Mall outlet in Lanang!

Well, there’s no official press release yet from the company but an insider has informed us that NCCC will build another mall in the northern part of the city. The new mall will be a mixed of a hypermart and a lifestyle enclave. It will be located in a vacant lot near Guadalupe Village in Lanang.

The new mall will be minutes away from the up and coming Abreeza – the Ayala Center Davao, Robinsons Cybergate Davao, and SM Lanang.

Davao City top competitive surveys!

Davao City ranked as the country’s most competitive metro city in a recent survey conducted by the Asian Institute of Management’s Philippine Cities Competitive Ranking Project. The AIM Policy Center conducted the benchmark survey under its City Competitive Program, which seeks to identify the best cities in which to live, work and operate a business.

The survey covered 90 cities, which fell under different categories such as metro, mid-sized and small cities.

The study considered six factors: the cost of doing business, the dynamism of the local economy, the human resources and training, the available infrastructure, the city’s responsiveness to business needs and the city’s quality of life.

At least 40 respondents in each city were asked to answer questionnaires pertaining to the criteria with 10 being the highest score and 1 as the lowest.

She’s wide awake – Gaisano Mall of Davao’s expansion

Mall investors from Metro Manila are now flocking in Davao City. Gokongwei’s Robinsons Land Corp is half way through the construction of their first cybergate mall in Mindanao. A Cybergate mall is RLC’s new line of malls which is a combination of a BPO building and a retail complex. Robinsons Cybergate Complex in Pioneer Mandaluyong and Cybergate in Bacolod are few of company’s existing cybergates in the country. Currently, Cybergate Davao along with Cybergate Cebu is underconstruction. Robinsons Cybergate Davao is located few kilometers away from Ayala Land’s Abreeza – an Ayala Center in Davao City. It will be a BPO complex and a mall as well. Abreeza – an Ayala mall in Davao City is few kilometers away from Lanang Country Club where the second SM City Davao will also be constructed.

Gaisano Mall of Davao

Three major malls will be opening in the city two to three years from now. Davao’s G-Mall is wide awake and aware of the incoming competition. Thus, enter Gaisano Mall of Davao’s discreet yet huge expansion and major interior renovation.

Current Gaisano Mall of Davao along JP Laurel Ave.

G-Mall of Davao is doubling its floor space by year end. Construction of the seven-level south wing expansion is on going and is now on the fifth level. The work is round the clock to meet the target opening by year end. The interior renovation of the current building and second mall building expansion projects are said to cost almost a billion pesos.

Inside G-Mall of Davao (Gaisanao Mall of Davao)

Inside of G-Mall Davao (Gaisanao Mall of Davao)

Here are some of the photos of G-Mall’s second building expansion project. Photos by Junax

2nd mall building expansion - GMall's Sta Ana wing

2nd Mall building's mini atrium

G-Mall's Expansion Plan (Phase One)

How upbeat are the BPO and ITes industries in Davao City?

How upbeat are the BPO and ITes industries in Davao City? These facilities may give you an idea.

BPO and IT Parks/Centers in Davao City

1.)
- NCCC Mall IT Pavilion
- home of Western Wats

2.)
- Luisa Avenue Square
- home of Sutherland Global Center. Also home of PeopleSupport Recruitment and Training Center.

3.)
- DAMOSA IT Park
- home of Concentrix and other ITes companies

4.)
– Landco Corporate Tower
- home of Callbox Inc., also hq of Qualiserv (both are contact center facilities)

5.)
- ANC Corporate Center
- home of Cyber City Teleserv Center

6.)
- Pryce Tower
- Sitel Career Center

7.)
- Tumble Tots Center
- home of JIB eAcademy and Solutions and the company’s own contact center: Six Eleven Global Solutions.

8.)
- Udenna BPO Park
- SureRecruit Training Center (contact center training facility)

9.)
- Damosa Business Center
- built for software development outfits, telecoms providers, research & development firms.

10.)
- Metro Lifestyle Complex
- with a contact center facility at its 3rd and 4th floors.

Underconstruction or upcoming IT/BPO Parks or Centers

- Robinsons Cybergate Davao by Robinsons Land Corp.
- Abreeza’s BPO Building One by Ayala Land Inc.
- Abreeza’s BPO Building Two by Ayala Land Inc.

What made Abreeza unique from the other Ayala Centers in the country?

What made Abreeza – the upcoming Ayala Center of Davao different from other existing Ayala malls in the country?

Unlike Greenbelt, Glorietta, Trinoma, Bonifacio Highstreet, and Ayala Center Cebu – based on the developer’s plan, Abreeza will have two BPO buildings and a mall. And based on the existing developments of Ayala Land, this will be the first mall cum bpo complex development of Ayala Land Inc. in the country. With the case of Market Market, the developer only converted its 4th and 5th levels to house several BPOs. This is similar to one of its new projects which is Glorietta 5. Glorietta 5 will have 3 levels for retail and the next 5 levels for BPO.

But what sets Abreeza apart? The mall will have two individual midrise BPO buildings attached to it. The BPO component will have a total area of 18,000 square meters. The first BPO building will have atleast 5 levels. It will be a complex like development with three projects merged into one – two separate BPO buildings plus the lifestyle mall. The mall itself will have a total gross leasable area of 61,000 sqm once completed.

Jaime Ayala, president of Ayala Land Inc, said the city’s stable peace and order situation and the positive performance of retail sales pushed the group to finalize the joint venture, which he called “a gargantuan project.” “The project’s total cost is estimated at P4 billion to P5 billion,” he said.

Ayala Land Inc. has a number of BPO buildings in the country. However, these are stand alone BPO buildings with some retail spaces in its ground or second levels. Abreeza will be the first of its kind – a single development with BPO buildings and a mall merged into one.

Abreeza – an Ayala Mall and IT complex

This is Abreeza.

Ayala Land Inc. will invest 4 to 5 billion pesos in Davao City for a premier development called Abreeza. Abreeza is the name of the first and only Ayala mall in Mindanao which will veer away from the typical mall set-up. It will be a shopping mall which will have two BPO or IT buildings for callcenter operations.

The most ambitious and biggest mixed use development project of Ayala Land in Mindanao to date, is a joint venture between ALI and Davao City based Antonio Floirendo Corp (Anflocor). ALI will allocate 4 to 5 billion pesos for this development – a major investment that proves Ayala Land’s confidence in Davao City.

Abreeza had a ceremonial ground breaking last September 23, 2008 and was attended by Anflocor and ALI big bosses that included:

- Don Antonio Floirendo Sr from Anflocor
- Ayala Land Inc. chair Fernando Augusto Zobel de Ayala
- Ayala Land Inc’s President Jaime Ayala
- Ayala Corp chair and CEO Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala II
- ALI senior vice president Ma. Victoria Añonuevo
- Anflocor SVP Ricardo Floirendo
- Anflocor chair Antonio Floirendo Jr.
- Davao City Administrator Wendel Avisado
- and other top personalities of the two real estate companies.

Abreeza’s will have:

Mall’s Gross Leasable Area – 61,000 sqm
BPO Building One – 10,000 sqm
BPO Building Two -  8,000 sqm

Abreeza’s Development Timetable

Land Development Phase – Fourth Quarter of 2008
Start of Construction – First Quarter of 2009
Mall Component:
Phase 1 – 35,000 sqm will be completed in the fourth quarter of 2010.
Phase 2 – 26,000 sqm will be completed in the third quarter of 2011.
BPO/IT Component:
BPO Building One  – 10,000 sqm (5 levels) will be completed by the fourth quarter of 2009.
BPO Building Two – 8,000 sqm will be completed in the fourth quarter of 2011.

Abreeza will only consume around 7 hectares out of 10 hectares alloted for the development. The remaining 3 hectares is reserved for future developments such as a hotel.

This development will be under a joint venture company called Accendo Commercial Corp., with the following ownership structure: Anflocor – 33 percent and ALI – 67 percent.