MANILA — The road to recovery is gaining momentum in SOCCSKSARGEN as the region welcomes tourists back following the devastating magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck southern Mindanao on June 8, 2026.
Tourism officials are now promoting the region as ready to receive both domestic and foreign visitors, signaling a major shift from emergency response toward recovery and renewed economic activity.
SOCCSKSARGEN—comprising South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and General Santos City—is home to beaches, mountains, waterfalls, cultural communities and nature-based destinations that have long been promoted as some of Mindanao’s emerging tourism attractions.
But the comeback comes with an important warning: tourists should not assume that every destination has fully reopened.
From disaster zone to tourism comeback
The June 8 earthquake caused widespread damage across parts of Mindanao, with Soccsksargen among the hardest-hit areas.
The Department of Tourism initially ordered precautionary measures and advised travelers to monitor official announcements before proceeding with trips. Among the affected destinations were areas around Lake Holon in T’boli, South Cotabato, where a landslide was reported following the quake.
The disaster also affected tourism facilities and businesses, including accommodation establishments in General Santos City.
By June, the government was already transitioning from immediate disaster response toward rehabilitation and recovery. The Soccsksargen Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council subsequently moved to support an early recovery plan for earthquake-hit communities, including rehabilitation funding and infrastructure restoration.
The scale of the disaster was substantial.
By June 14, the Office of Civil Defense reported 61 deaths, 1,403 injuries and 40 missing persons connected to the earthquake, while about 173,000 families, or roughly 724,000 people, had been affected.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development later reported that more than PHP771 million in humanitarian assistance had been extended to quake-affected families in several Mindanao regions, including Soccsksargen.
Tourism officials see a path forward
Despite the devastation, tourism remains a major part of the region’s recovery strategy.
The Department of Tourism has continued positioning SOCCSKSARGEN as a destination for travelers seeking nature, culture and immersive experiences.
The region’s official tourism profile highlights its beaches, mountain landscapes and living cultural traditions involving Indigenous communities such as the T’boli, Blaan and Manobo.
The push is not entirely new.
Even before the earthquake, the DOT had been aggressively promoting SOCCSKSARGEN to domestic and international travelers. In 2024, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco described the region as offering a diverse tourism portfolio ranging from Sarangani’s beaches and mountain areas to waterfalls and Indigenous cultural experiences.
More recently, the region has also been developing wellness tourism, with DOT Region 12 launching its first SOX Wellness Tourism Summit in June as part of an effort to strengthen tourism products and create opportunities for local entrepreneurs.
The numbers show why tourism matters
SOCCSKSARGEN entered 2026 with significant tourism momentum.
Regional economic data showed strong growth in tourism during the fourth quarter of 2025, with overnight tourist arrivals reaching more than 2.16 million, representing a 29.62-percent increase. Foreign overnight arrivals rose 43.42 percent, while domestic overnight arrivals increased 29.53 percent.
Those figures help explain why restoring tourism is important not only for visitors but also for businesses, workers and communities dependent on the industry.
The region’s economy itself grew 4.8 percent in 2025, according to regional economic officials, exceeding the national growth rate of 4.4 percent.
But travelers need to check before booking
The tourism comeback does not mean every attraction is open.
One major example is Lake Holon.
The latest available advisory from the DOT-SOCCSKSARGEN tourism office states that Lake Holon remains closed to visitors and tourism operations are suspended until further notice. Travelers have been urged to wait for an official announcement before making plans to visit the destination.
That distinction is crucial.
With the region still recovering from a major earthquake, tourists should check the operational status of individual destinations, accommodations and tour operators before traveling.
Earthquake aftershocks were also recorded in the weeks following the June 8 event. PHIVOLCS documented several aftershocks affecting portions of Sarangani, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and General Santos City.
A region determined to rebuild
For SOCCSKSARGEN, the return of tourists represents more than a marketing campaign.
It is part of a broader effort to restore livelihoods, revive businesses and rebuild confidence after one of the strongest earthquakes to hit the area in decades.
The region still has the attractions that made it a growing tourism destination before the disaster—from the cultural traditions of its Indigenous communities to its beaches, mountains and nature destinations.
Now, the challenge is making sure that the tourism comeback happens safely, sustainably and at a pace communities can support.
SOCCSKSARGEN is opening its doors again.
But for travelers planning their next Mindanao adventure, the smartest first step is not simply asking “Where can I go?”
It is asking “Which destinations are officially ready for me to visit?”
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