Soccsksargen is encouraging local and foreign travelers to return to the region as tourism officials work to restore visitor activity after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake disrupted travel in June.
The earthquake sharply affected tourism in Glan, Sarangani, the region’s leading destination for same day arrivals, and triggered cancellations of trips and events, including weddings.
Department of Tourism Region 12 Director Nelia Arina said Sarangani and other destinations in Soccsksargen are gradually reopening and can accommodate visitors despite remaining damage from the earthquake.
“We are ready after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake. It’s only the guests who are a bit reluctant because of what happened,” Arina told the Philippine News Agency on the sidelines of the SOX Investment Tourism Forum in Parañaque City on Friday.
“There were a lot of cancellations, even the weddings, there were cancellations in the venues. But as to the place, as of the moment, we are ready, except that the damage are there already. But we are ready. We’re safe,” she added.
Tourism figures show the impact of the slowdown. Soccsksargen recorded 873,584 overnight arrivals from January to June, down 13.8% from the 1,014,088 arrivals recorded during the same period in 2025, according to the latest DOT Region 12 data.
Same day arrivals also fell to 4,464,896 during the first six months of 2026 from 5,266,475 in the same period last year.
The decline came after overnight arrivals had increased during the first quarter before the earthquake disrupted tourism activity across the region.
Tourism officials are now working to regain visitor confidence and encourage travelers to return as destinations reopen and communities recover from the disaster.
Photo courtesy of Department of Tourism
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