Provincial Tourism Council to convene today

CEBU, Philippines — The Province of Cebu is set to convene its Provincial Tourism Council (PTC) today, July 30, to assess the state of its tourism sector and tackle pressing concerns, particularly the significant decline in tourist arrivals from South Korea.

Rowena Lu Montecillo, newly appointed head of the Cebu Provincial Tourism Office, said the meeting will formalize directives already laid out and will gather key stakeholders from both the public and private sectors.

 “We will be meeting with national government agencies and private tourism stakeholders --tour operators, airlines, tour guides, and hotel and restaurant associations,” she said.

The council, reactivated under the administration of Governor Pamela Baricuatro, will be chaired by the governor herself and co-chaired by Board Member Andrei “Red” Duterte, who heads the Committee on Tourism in the Provincial Board.

Montecillo emphasized the importance of involving the private sector in tourism planning.

“If you really want to go to the grassroots, you have to have your Tourism Council. Every sector has to be involved in your plan. The private sector brings insight on what’s happening on the ground,” she said.

A key agenda of today’s meeting will be the reported 18% drop in Korean tourists during the first half of 2025, compared to the same period last year.

The slump was confirmed by Cebu Provincial Administrator Ace Durano, who described it as “urgent and unprecedented.”

Durano noted that the decline in arrivals is not limited to Korean tourists

“We also seeing a decrease in visitors from Japan and other markets,” he added.

The former tourism chief cited Vietnam as Cebu’s biggest competitor in the region, crediting the Southeast Asian neighbor's aggressive tourism campaigns, affordable tour packages, and robust destination development.

“Vietnam offers four-day, five-night tour packages at half the price compared to ours. That’s a major factor,” Durano explained.

He also pointed to the evolving habits of South Korean travelers as another factor.

“They no longer carry cash; they use a native payment system that gives them up to 20% discount. That system hasn’t been adopted here yet, which makes our destination more expensive for them,” he said.

To address the issue, Montecillo said the PTC will study these emerging trends and collaborate closely with the DOT to realign strategies.

“We make sure we are aligned at the regional level so that implementation at the local level is more effective,” she said.

A seasoned tourism official, Montecillo brings decades of experience to the Baricuatro administration. She joined the Department of Tourism in 1983 and served as regional director from 2010 to 2016 during the “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” campaign era.

After a brief break due to a change in administration, Montecillo returned to the DOT in 2019 at the invitation of former secretary Bernadette Puyat, heading the Industry and Manpower Development Department until 2022.

She managed the agency’s budget for regional training programs aimed at frontliners and tourism workers.

Meanwhile, regional and national experts gathered for the Visayas Island Seminar on PAGTANAW 2050, highlighting science-driven solutions to the pressing issues of energy, water security, and sustainable infrastructure yesterday.

Among the key issues that were discussed included the 3.7 million households that lack electricity, the 11% of the population that lacked access to water, and that 70% of infrastructure investments are concentrated in Luzon.

Dr. Danilo Jaque and Engr. Jay-ar Reynes promoted smart, island-specific solutions like solar desalination, floating solar farms, rainwater harvesting, and microgrids. While Arch. Joseph Espina and CTU experts Dr. Jonathan Maglasang and Dr. Hana Tuñacao stressed the need for climate-resilient urban systems, smarter housing transport planning, and mass mobility options to reduce congestion.

The forum concluded with a call from DOST Assistant Secretary Diana Ignacio to use PAGTANAW 2050 as a roadmap for equitable growth, particularly in the Visayas. — (FREEMAN)