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Cebu is leading RP tourist destination | Philstar.com
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Food and Leisure

Cebu is leading RP tourist destination

C‘EST CEBU - Honey Jarque Loop -
The Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry recognized and honored individuals and establishments that had significantly contributed to boost and propel regional economy during its annual Grand Chamber Awards 2002 held recently at the ballroom of the Cebu Waterfront Hotel.

Cebu Governor Pablo Garcia was the guest speaker. He spoke lengthily on the island’s role in tourism development, a point well received by the CCCI members.

Gov. Garcia was delighted to share the results of the extensive study conducted by Mckinsey Consultants, which named Cebu as the No. 1 tourist destination in the country, besting both Boracay and Baguio. He said that as far as the inter-island shipping industry is concerned, Cebu is the busiest in the archipelago with over 10.5 million passengers last year, which is triple the influx of passengers at the North Harbor in Manila. In terms of cargo volume, Cebu is by far larger than the combined cargoes of Davao, Gen. Santos and Cagayan de Oro cities. He strongly supports the vision and plan to construct a new international port for Cebu.

He reminded both the business sector and the Cebuano community of their vital role in nation building and earnestly urged them to meet head on the challenges that lay ahead through industrialization. In closing, he thanked the private sector for being "the engine of growth that has placed Cebu to where it is now."

Named Entrepreneur of the Year was Bernido Liu, chief executive officer of Golden ABC, a Cebu-based corporation that produces and manufactures one-size T-shirts, more popularly sold under the Penshoppe label. It has 80 company-owned shops and over 300 concessionaires in department stores and boutiques nationwide.

The finalists in this category included: Cecilio Gillamac Sr. of the famed Gillamac Marketing, distributors of affordable, value-for-money home appliances; Gonzalo Catan of Mapecon Philippines, the byword in effective pest and termite control; and the amiable Lita Urbina of popular Café Laguna, the charmer of a lady responsible for delicious Pampango dishes Cebuanos have learned to love.

The Business in Environment Award went to Fairchild Semiconductors Hong Kong Ltd. and to Janice Minor Export Inc., in the large-scale and small-scale categories, respectively.

Special citations were given to Shangri-La Mactan Island Resort for their Batang Opon Charity project and the Toledo Power Co. for its environmental outreach program.

For the Business in Community Award, Lexmark Intl. was recognized for adopting the Suba Masulog Elementary School, hiring competent and qualified teachers, upgrading facilities, IT-based resources and feeding and health delivery programs.

Special citations were also given to pioneers in the travel and hotel, resort and restaurant industries.

Cebu Plaza Hotel was cited for its consistent support of the Kapihan Sa Turismo, in coordination with the Department of Tourism, and for its ongoing projects, such as the different food festivals that showcase the different culinary specialties of the different regions of the Philippines.

The Cebu City Waterfront Hotel was named the Convention Hotel for its management teamwork, headed by COO Patrick Gregorio, its unbeatable facilities and for its cultural and entertainment events that focus on Cebu as a convention and cultural center.

Montebello Villa Hotel was recognized for its effort in preserving classic Hispanic features that give balance to high-rise hotels that are mushrooming in the city, while the Cebu Marriott Hotel under the leadership of its general manager Christiane Wasfy was voted Business Hotel of the Year.

For being pioneers in sustainable travel, consistently promoting inbound and outbound tours, and for contributing to making Cebu a desired destination in the global map, two leading travel agencies received special citations. They are exemplary leaders in the travel and tourism industry. Marilou and Del Ordoñez started Del Mar Travel and Tours in 1978 and have consistently remained on the list of top producers. The second awardee is Aida Uy of Cebu Fortune Travel, which began in Cebu in 1973, and later expanded to Manila. She offered the first chartered Cebu-Hong Kong Cebu flights via Air Manila.

The highlight of the well-attended affair was the institutionalized Chamber Waltz participated in by the officers, members and guests of the organization, led by its president Joe Ng and the highly-successful Cebu Business Month chairperson Lito Maderazo and his wife Emily.

AIDA UY

AIR MANILA

BATANG OPON CHARITY

BERNIDO LIU

BORACAY AND BAGUIO

BUSINESS HOTEL OF THE YEAR

CEBU

CEBU BUSINESS MONTH

CEBU CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

CEBU CITY WATERFRONT HOTEL

HOTEL

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