The City of Dumaguete is a city in the Philippine province of Negros Oriental. It is the capital, principal seaport, and largest city of the province. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 116,392 people. A person from Dumaguete is called a "Dumagueteño". The city is nicknamed The City of Gentle People.
Dumaguete is referred to as a university town because of the presence of four universities and a number of other colleges where students of the province converge to enroll for tertiary education. The city is also a popular educational destination for students of surrounding provinces and cities in Visayas and Mindanao. The city is best known for Silliman University, the country's first Protestant university and the first American private university in Asia. There are also 12 elementary schools and 9 high schools. The city's student population is estimated at 30,000.
The city attracts a considerable number of foreign tourists, particularly Europeans, because of easy ferry access from Cebu City, the availability of beach resorts and dive sites, and the attraction of dolphin and whale watching in nearby Bais City.
The city has a domestic airport which provides daily flights to and from Manila through Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines and thrice weekly flights to Cebu City through Cebu Pacific .
The power source of the city comes from the geothermal power plant in Palinpinon, Valencia. The city has redundant fiber optic lines and is a focal point for telecommunications. It is the landing point for fiber optic cables linking it to Manila, the capital of the Philippines, the cities south of Luzon, as well as to other major cities in southern Philippines.
Hotel and Tourism
Data from the Department of Tourism show that Dumaguete and Negros Oriental are among the top ten most visited tourist destinations in the country. Tourists visit popular sites such as the Apo Island Marine Protected Area, considered as one of the best dive sites in the world, as well as various other attractions within the city and nearby towns and cities.
The city has numerous hotels that cater to the growing number of tourists visiting the city every year. The most notable are Bethel Guest House along the Boulevard, Hotel Palwa and Hotel Nicanor in the downtown area, as well as Coco Grande and Harold's Mansion near Silliman University. Numerous hotels are currently under construction in various areas in the city, including a high rise hotel-the C&L Bay View Inn owned by the C&L Hotel group. Robinsons Land Corporation's goHotel is also expected to rise at the vicinity of Robinsons Place Dumaguete soon.
Transportation
Air
Sibulan Airport (IATA: DGT, ICAO: RPVD) also known as Dumaguete Airport, is an airport serving the general area of Dumaguete City, located in the province of Negros Oriental in the Philippines. The airport is located in the municipality of Sibulan, near the border with Dumaguete City, and as such takes its name from its location.
The airport is classified as a trunkline airport, or a major commercial domestic airport, by the Air Transportation Office, a body of the Department of Transportation and Communications that is responsible for the operations of not only this airport but also of all other airports in the Philippines except the major international airports.
It has daily flights to and from Manila and Cebu through Cebu Pacific, and Philippine Airlines.
Sea
The Dumaguete Pier, located in Barangay Looc, is the second largest port in Central Visayas. It is the main port of trade for the city and the whole province of Negros Oriental. It is being expanded to accommodate more container ships. A beautiful and modern new passenger terminal has recently been completed and considered to be the largest passenger terminal in the Visayas which can accommodate 1,300 to 1,500 passengers at a given time.
Land
Dumaguete has three major roads namely Veterans Avenue, Perdices Street, and Rizal Boulevard. A circumferential road is currently constructed west of Dumaguete.
Tricycles, jeepneys, and taxis are the major modes of transportation in the city. Bus transportation is also available for traveling outside Dumaguete with 3 major bus stations.