A city or municipality should now start refusing business permits to a tourism establishment that has no seal of approval from the provincial government.
Govenor Gwen Garcia said this new policy will encourage establishments to perform better and raise the standards of quality service to tourists.
Ratings of the resorts are usually based on the standard requirements set by the Tourism Department. But in the case of the issuance of the seal of approval, the Capitol would inspect the number of rooms an establishment has, the number of persons to be accommodated in a room, the rate per room, and the classification of the resort.
The Capitol has been intensifying its efforts to lure more tourists to Cebu through its Suroy-Suroy Sugbo Tour packages.
There were five destinations for the Suroy-Suroy Sugbo packages to cover the whole island of Cebu. Since the SST started its first package in 2006, the number of tourists and participants has been growing steadily each year but guests’ evaluations revealed problems with the accommodations.
Tourism and Heritage Council consultant Clarita Zosa said most tourists have been dissatisfied with the amenities of some of the Suroy Suroy venues, especially comfort rooms.
Provincial Board member Agnes Magpale said that before every Suroy-Suroy package is set, preparations were already made so that every LGU, passed by the packaged tour, would be able to showcase the best their town or city has to offer and enable them to know better on what to do with the influx of the tourists.
“Suroy-Suroy did not just happen overnight. Daghan kaayo ta’g preparasyon nga gibuhat pinaagi sa katong nagseminar ta on heritage nya duna ta’y language, culture and the arts. Nya duna sad ta’y giandam nga pag-inspect sa mga accommodation nga naa na sa inyong tagsa-tagsa ka mga lungsod,” Magpale said.
Initial inspection showed that of the 218 tourism establishments, 154 passed, 52 failed the inspection, and 12 still needs improvement. — Garry B. Lao/RAE