The statistical definition of tourism is broader than the common definition employed on an everyday basis, as it encompasses not only private trips but also business trips. This is primarily because tourism is viewed from an economic perspective, whereby private visitors on holiday and visitors making business trips have broadly similar consumption patterns (transport, accommodation and restaurant / catering services). As such, it may be of secondary interest to providers of tourism services whether their customers are private tourists on holiday or visitors on a business trip.

Tourism cuts across many activities: services to tourists include the provision of accommodation,

gastronomy (for example, restaurants or cafs), transport, and a wide range of cultural and recreational facilities

(for example, theatres, museums, leisure parks or swimming pools). In many regions focused on tourism, retail

and other service sectors also benefit considerably from the additional demand generated by tourists, as the

construction sector can. [Eurostat]

In General Santos City, Tourism Promotions Division of City Economic Management and Cooperative

Development Office (CEMCDO), took its part in implementing the City Ordinance No. 17, Series of 2013. Monthly

reports on tourist statistics data have been gathered, collected and processed. Reportorial categories have been

categorized into four: first, the accommodation occupancy report; second, the events and conferences held

report; third, travel trades report; and fourth, the attractions, adventure, and recreation report.

During the third quarter of the year, GenSan in-housed more than 34,000 combined local and foreign

visitors in September. This is due to the three national events held and hosted by the city: one during the month of

July, and two in September as registered in MICE Report. Visitors mobility counted very high until the end of the

quarter by 10.65%; total guest nights increased by 7.15%; average occupancy rate increased by 6.62% despite a

decrease of 8.14% from the submission of monthly reports by tourism business operators.

Though noticeable drop of both foreign guest visitors and accommodation respondents count during the

month of September for the years third quarter, yet visitor arrivals registered more than the previous two months as

to categories of domestic guests, guest nights spent, and number of rooms occupied, occupancy rate, and the

number of respondents.

Accommodations are composed of hotels, pension houses, inns, lodging houses and the like that offer bed spaces and cater amenities for a period of stay.

Every tourist destination has its own market. GenSan--as blessed with natural wonders and resources like landscape, seascape, airspace, and friendly constituents, is frequently visited by foreign visitors.

As per record in July, Korean visitors collectively totalled 200; Japanese 87; Chinese 73; and Taiwanese 69

as most frequent GenSan visitors. While Americans and Australians visited GenSan during August with records totalled to 170 and 82 respectively.

In July, GenSan was excursed most by foreign visitors that recorded 969 visits as compared to 863 in

August, and 440 in September.

Special events like concerts, community or annual festivals, local tourism experience, conventions, trade shows, indoor and outdoor sports, and other related events are components of Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibitions (M.I.C.E.) held and hosted in General Santos City.

Number of events held within the city increased to 432 counts surpassing the previous and following

months. Local participants were at its peak during the month of August that accounted to 35,901 attendees. Not only

local guests influxed GenSan, but also foreign participants: 25 in August, and 117 in September. This is not only due

to the prevalent scholarly and family acquaintance and socialization parties, but also during the 1st International

Paragliding Accuracy Championship (IPAC) 2014 in Sarangani and GenSan.

National and regional events held in GenSan summed up to 4,867 participants; distributed among

Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) National Convention with 500 participants; Department of Agriculture (DA) Regional Orientation gathered 50 persons; Mindanao Business Conference (MinBizCon) attended by 1,500 industrialists; Institute of Integrated Electrical Engineers (IIEE) Regional Congress participated by 300 engineers; and the 16th National Tuna Congress (NTC) joined by 517 fishing tycoons.

Reservations services, tourism suppliers, tourism information centres, travel agencies, tour wholesalers, tour guides, and online consolidators comprised the monthly tour operators report solicited and consolidated from business operators in GenSan.

Total respondents can be observed in declining pattern compared to the total number of establishments in

3rd quarter period. Towards the end of the quarter, a 28.57% variance can be identified.

Inverse quantity occurred between the total number of local tourist served and the number of foreign tourist

served respectively, since local tourist served gradually increasing towards the end of the quarter, while the number

of foreign tourist served is diminishing. Though the inversion of quantity transpired, yet towards the end of the

quarter, this sector served more than the beginning of the quarter because some members of Wow GenSan

Association of Travel Agents (WGATA) has been providing city circuit tours just recently.

Daytime tourist monthly reports were collected from resorts, the sun, sea, and sand drenching, picnics, and the nature-based tourism.

In the third quarter, total number of tourists served registered 20.18% increase despite a decrease of

14.29% in the total number of respondents submitting reports. Nature adventurers and enthusiasts depict a total of

41, 309 during the month of August.

The ratification and implementation of the City Ordinance Number 17, Series of 2013 gave the tourism

officers, staff, and its enforcers the utmost authority to monitor the citys tourism related establishments (TREs)

statistics as to how many of both domestic and foreign tourists and guests are visiting and/or coming in the city.

Source: Research, Statistics, and Policy Section Data Bank, CEMCDO