Capitol’s tourism office to launch online booking system

CEBU, Philippines — To strengthen Cebu’s thrust toward becoming a premier tourist destination, the Cebu Provincial Government is elevating its digitalization efforts in tourism with the development of a P1.9-million online booking system.

According to Provincial Tourism Office (PTO) head Rowena Montecillo, the system will direct users to legitimate channels of tour operators accredited by the Department of Tourism (DOT) and recognized by local government units (LGUs).

She added that the digitalized system will enable the PTO to gather tourism data, such as visitors’ nationality, number of guests, length of stay, and booking success rates, which will help track tourism activity across the province.

“We have so many requirements [to comply with] because we also get the data of the tourists from there,” she said, noting that the system will adhere to security regulations.

Asked about protection from potential fraud and scammers, Montecillo assured the public of the system’s safeguards, as it will be attached to a “mother” website of the Province of Cebu.

According to Montecillo, the partner developer is also offering to create a separate website for the PTO free of charge.

The online booking system will be attached to the official PTO website, a separate project that will also be launched, and shall be monitored by a team of administrative staff.

Aside from its primary objective of upgrading Cebu’s tourism services, the development is also aimed at helping reduce booking-related scams.

“We are hoping na this will somehow resolve problems on scamming because… it [the website] will only lead them to legitimate contact details,” she added.

Montecillo said they will open the system to private-sector entities and LGUs that conduct their own tours, such as the town of Oslob, by integrating their booking systems into the platform.

She added that they are also looking forward to expanding partnerships with enterprises, hotels, and restaurants.

“We are asking our supplier nga i-open na siya for anybody who would want to join basta legitimate lang,” she said.

The online booking system will first be piloted in Alegria, Samboan, Ginatilan, Oslob, and Malabuyoc, towns that contribute significantly to the province’s tourism industry.

The system is still in its first phase, with its initial presentation to tour operators scheduled for this week.

Aside from that, she said the project will still undergo a series of consultations with hotels and LGUs, involving them in the program’s development.

The office is aiming to complete the consultations by the start of the fourth quarter this year.

Apart from digitalized bookings, the PTO will also feature organized tourism content, including destinations, products, events, downloadable materials, and travel advisories, according to a post on the Cebu Province official Facebook page.

Montecillo said they will also launch digital advertising campaigns on international platforms such as Skyscanner to expand Cebu’s tourism reach.

She added that the PTO will complete the development of 25 additional virtual maps, a significant addition on the five ones launched last year.

Such content will also be integrated into the upcoming official PTO website. — Jhiezel Jane D. Camarillo, CNU Intern/IHM (FREEMAN)