Manila: Candon City is eyeing bigger events after the successful hosting of the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Women's Cup. Mayor Eric Singson said maintaining leadership in sports tourism is a continuous process for the city, which has become a premier sports destination in the north. "It's a long process. The journey is long and a challenging one," Singson said in a news release Saturday ahead of the medal matches at Candon City Arena.

According to Philippines News Agency, the completion of the airport will significantly improve accessibility and boost Candon City's appeal as a national and international sports venue. "I hope we did what we had to do as hosts. It's a big challenge. We just do our part in developing sports in Candon and provide the necessary infrastructure," Singson said. "We're working to complete our airport so we can have more and even bigger events," he added.

For the AVC Women's Cup, the resort city put up more hotel rooms and enhanced the 8,000-seat Candon City Arena to support teams and tournament operations. The arena's strength and conditioning gyms were also upgraded, while dedicated training venues were set up. "We now have practice facilities and we're happy we provided them for this event," Singson said.

AVC president Ramon Suzara lauded the city officials and townsfolk for the exceptional hosting, dubbing Candon City as an emerging volleyball capital of the country. "Outside of Metro Manila, you have Candon. Soon it will be able to host premium events such as the VNL (Volleyball Nations League)," Suzara said.