Cebu tourism roadmap gets support but stakeholders said some things need to be done to further improve Cebu

CEBU, Philippines - Major industry players and business chambers expressed support to the newly-launched Cebu tourism roadmap but cited recommendations to further improve Cebu which is envisioned to be the top tourist destination in the country and in Asia.

Cebu Business Club Executive Director Fernando “Perry” Fajardo presented the Cebu Strategic Tourism Development Plan last Friday to various stakeholders for feedback and suggestions.

Spearheading the roadmap preparation for a unified direction and guidance, the Cebu Coalition of Fourteen Business Chambers and Civil Service Organizations under its Partnership for Better Infrastructure aims to finish the roadmap by yearend and present it to the government for implementation.

With the present 1.6 million tourists, the Cebu tourism roadmap targets to reach four to five million tourists in five years with 15 to 20 percent annual growth rate. 

Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Prudencio Gesta pointed out the issue on culture of tourism in Cebu which he considered as critical and needs to be implemented.

Acknowledging the important role of security in the tourism industry, he added that a resolution could be passed to amend the juvenile law since rebelled minors have become irritants of peace and order in society.

With the prevalence of Internet, he further suggested the use of social media to strongly promote Cebu and speed up awareness among a wider scope of prospect tourists. 

“The only thing we have to do is do it. Just simply do it,” he stated.

Philip Tan, president of the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry, noted the investment and medical tourism of Cebu as one of its assets in the industry. 

However, he said that the tourism sector will only flourish once the infrastructure of the country will be improved.

“Mandaue is in a sorry state during the rainy season. The city and other areas in the province are prone to flooding, it is now a big challenge to the government to work on the improvement of infrastructure,” he continued.

American Chamber of Commerce – Cebu Consul John Domingo stressed out the poverty, mendicancy, untimely infrastructure management, improper waste disposal and frequent flooding in Cebu as areas to work on by the concerned sectors. 

He further commended the Filipino world-class hospitality and the ability of Cebuanos to speak English fluently which results to easier and better communication with foreign visitors.

“Cebu has a lot to offer. The number one attraction is the people – their friendliness and the ability to communicate with other people from other parts of the world. But something has to be done. Foreigners cannot understand why with all the highly-structured buildings and cars around, they see people begging, piles of garbage in the streets and the flooding. That has to be fixed,” he said. 

Government agencies such as the Department of Tourism, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Interior and Local Government and National Economic Development Authority, other tourism stakeholders, local chief executives, legislators, industry players, and the academe had pledged to support the roadmap. 

The Cebu Tourism Road Map 2012-2016 was a local-level translation of the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) into more actionable proposals. 

The NTDP has included Cebu within the Central Visayas region as one of its priority areas in the country for tourism development. (FREEMAN)