Giving sports tourism a push

Sports Tourism. We’ve heard the term so many times yet wonder if it’s really working. Or how does it work? Is there a single sports organization taking care of all these? Are the local governments actively setting up sports tourism ventures? And how do these events make an impact on the local economy?

Cebu has hosted a number of sports events that bring in both foreign and domestic tourists yet there doesn’t seem to be a concerted effort among Cebu sports enthusiasts to make it really work. We’ve had a series of Pinoy Pride boxing events that bring in foreign boxers, foreign boxing fans and local tourists/fans from our neighbor provinces. But this is organized by a private entity with minimal support coming from the local government (maybe in the form of an exemption from amusement taxes). We’ve also had an international dancesport competition that brought in top dancers from European and Asian countries. Along with these came dancesport fans from outside Cebu. But then again, this too, was a privately run affair. I guess it was by chance that Ed Hayco is now with the Cebu City Sports Commission. But even before joining City Hall, he was very much on his own. Another example of a sports event initiated by the private sector was the X-Terra Triathlon held in Liloan. We had top international X-terra triathletes from outside.

This brings me to benchmark Cebu against Camarines Sur, a province that now claims to be the top tourist destination of the Philippines, beating the likes of perennial top tourist draws Cebu and Boracay! Camsur? Yes, Camsur! And what do they have there? Ironically, they’re relying on only one facility to draw tourists from both the local and foreign markets. It’s the Camsur Wakeboarding facility at the Camsur Water Sports Complex. Aside from the regular wakeboarding crowd, Camsur has already hosted two runs of the prestigious Ironman Triathlon, and they’ve also had a successful full-length 42K marathon that drew over 20,000 runners. Camsur? If you compare Camsur to Cebu, there’s virtually no comparison in terms of wealth, economy and over-all status. Yet they’re beating us in sports tourism. They can actually claim to be one of the top sports tourism destinations of the country. The irony of it all is that they don’t have other sports events that Cebu can host. So how can they beat us?

It’s really simple. They have a dynamic leader in Gov. L-Ray Villafuerte who has gone all out to positioned Camsur to become the sports tourism capital of the country. It’s a simple, focused thrust that they’ve worked hard on and have become successful. Everyone knows how much this has helped develop the over-all economy of Camsur. The once quiet town is now abuzz with their service industry busy with taking care of the tourists who come in by the droves. Hotels, restaurants, taxi operators and local retailers are enjoying the boom like never before.

But Cebu won’t take this sitting down, will we.? Lapu-lapu City Councilor Harry Radaza who is taking the initiative on making Lapulapu a sports tourism destination and a future sports power. And he’s working with the tourism segment of the city to get it done. They’ve brought the Davis Cup to Lapulapu twice this year alone. The Japanese came in March, and most of the city’s resorts were booked with Davis Cup-related tourists. The same thing happened last month when Chinese-Taipei paid us a visit. While the Philippines lost both ties, the clear winner was Lapulapu, its people and Cebu. Events like these have a direct impact on the businesses that thrive on tourism. Like Camsur, hotels, restaurants, retailers, beaches, pumpboat operators and the like all enjoyed servicing the sports fans and athletes who arrived. The Hoops Dome has hosted one edition of the Pinoy Pride series and is due to host another before the year is over. GerPens Promotions had a boxing event last night and SGG Promotions is coming over on October 15. The major plus for these events is that these will be aired on national TV, an automatic huge plug for the city. Coming on November 5 is a PBA game which will finally be played in an air-conditioned venue here in Cebu, a first Cebu sports history. Goodbye to the “New” Cebu Coliseum for PBA games. There’s a real “new” kid in the block and it’s out there in Gun-ob, Lapulapu City. Mark that name down. Triathlons? Marathons? Beach Games? All that, coming soon.

I find it strange that Cebu and Mandaue aren’t seriously looking into sports tourism as a program to help promote their brands. But then again, what better city to push tourism other than Lapulapu, the home of Cebu’s best resorts and acknowledged as Cebu’s tourism destination center. Yes, it’s expensive and demands a lot of resources, but at the end of the day, the returns are only fair. The city’s tourism industry gets an automatic added source of revenues on top of their regular customers.

When asked why he’s doing this, the answer was pretty simple. They needed to differentiate the city from its neighbors. They wanted to create their niche. So far, so good. And things are definitely looking good for Lapulapu.

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Time-out: To our dear friends at Smart BRO, please stop claiming that you provide us with unlimited internet connection. The only unli here is the unlimited off-signal! And you’re making us pay for this?! Tulis na ni uy. >>> You can reach me at [email protected].