Sun Star Davao
May 17, 2010
AFTER offering its beaches, mountain resorts,
golf courses and eco-adventure destinations, Davao Region is now
offering a new tourism destination that may be unrivaled by any
of its neighbors in Southeast Asia.
To be launched in September, Davao City and
its neighboring Davao provinces will launch the 1st Asian Bird
Fair later this year, as they prepare themselves to be the bird
watchers' paradise of Asia.
With an avian specie count of over 500 migratory
and endemic birds, Southern Mindanao may have just discovered
a new tourism potential.
Being the first of its kind to be staged in
Davao, this early, several bird watching societies from as far
as Europe have already expressed interest in taking part in the
bird fair.
"We are prepared for over 6,000 participants
that will be composed primarily of students as we want the fair
to be a venue for educating the young and the community on how
important it is to care for the environment," Michael Lu,
president of Wild Bird Club of the Philippines, said.
"Especially with the young who equate seeing
a bird with 'tirador'. It shouldn't be like that," he added.
While the main focus of the 1st Asian Bird Fair
is for the protection of the under threat avian species in the
country, it also aims to promote the country as a bird watchers'
haven.
At present, there are more than 500 bird species
counted in the country, 186 of which are endemic to the Philippines
and 56 are categorized as threatened.
Bird watching societies continue to grow as
a hobby and recreation in more developed countries like the United
Kingdom, Australia, the United States, Korea, and most of Europe.
(CPM)
