Foreign and local businesses are urged to invest in tourism and retirement facilities in Sarangani and General Santos City, being two of Mindanao’s most underrated destinations for retirees and travelers.

At the SOX Investment Tourism Forum on Friday afternoon, the Department of Tourism (DOT) said the two provinces offer convenience and low-cost destinations that tourists and retirees look for when choosing where to go.

“The Philippines is really low-cost, and Gensan is lower. We are much lower in terms of expenditure, and then also this is an untapped and underrated destination,” DOT-Soccsksargen Director Nelia Arina said.

She added that both provinces are safe and secure for both local and foreign investors.

“We have very large corporations there. We have large corporations in Sarangani, (they are) foreign-owned, and there are Filipino-owned. And among the many canning factories in the Philippines, 90 percent are in General Santos City. So, we have a lot of big industries there,” she added.

At least 30 investors, including Koreans, Japanese, and Chinese, attended the 2026 SOX Investment Tourism Forum, Arina said, expressing hope that the following segment, the “investment tour,” would result in more signed ventures.

She noted that in the 2025 forum, which focused on South Cotabato, at least 13 investors attended, one of whom is already set to open a retirement facility in the province this November. (PNA)