Hospitality sector positive to sustain growth this year

CEBU, Philippines - While Cebu is continuously working to further develop its tourism and business sectors, the hospitality industry is seen to sustain its growth in the long term.

“Business tourism continues to expand in Cebu City due to the favorable business environment brought about by sustainable growth in the office sector. The influx of corporate executives in the metropolis has supported the market for business hotels particularly standard and economy hotels within the City,” revealed the recent study conducted by international consulting and property management firm, CBRE Richard Ellis.

According to the study, the continuous increase in visitor arrivals has sustained the growth of the hospitality industry in Cebu.

Record showed that from January to August last year, total tourist arrivals to Cebu reached 1.3 million, an 11 percent improvement from 1.1 million tourist visited Cebu in the same period of 2010.

Domestic tourists accounted for 57.16 percent of the total visitor arrivals. The volume of domestic tourists increased by 6.42 percent in the first eight months last year to 750,643 from 705,380 in 2010.

Foreign tourists, which comprised 42.84 percent of the total tourist arrivals, also grew by 18.63 percent. Top foreign tourists who visited Cebu came from the East asian market followed by North American market.

Korean nationals comprised bulk of the total foreign tourist arrivals to Cebu, contributing a share of 44.49 percent or 250,353 visitors.

Furthermore, Cebu is also gaining popularity among Russian travelers as the number tourist arrivals from Russian Federation increased by 103.92 percent.

Economists observed that because of the robust growth of tourists and corporate visitors to Cebu, investors have satisfied their appetite by venturing into the fertile hospitality industry in the City.

Meanwhile, leisure-oriented tourists primarily go to the beach resorts in Mactan. The island is also attracting more investors for deluxe resort rooms, including condo-tels.

Aside from business and leisure tourism, Cebu has been attracting education-tourists. Visitors from non-English speaking countries like South Korea and Russia are visiting Cebu to study ESL (English as Second Language).

The study revealed that education tourism is expected to be one of the growth drivers of the tourism industry as this could attract long-staying visitors to Cebu.

The robust corporate and leisure tourism in Cebu also benefitted the countryside towns in the province.

The study mentioned that Moalboal, located in the southern part of Cebu, is likewise gaining strength in attracting divers from all over the world. (FREEMAN)