Five-star resort notes rise in local bookings

CEBU, Philippines - Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort & Spa noted a continued climb in domestic bookings as more Filipinos are now more keen to travel and unwind within the country.

Marco Vazzoler, the general manager of the five-star property, said the resort has seen encouraging improvements from local or domestic bookings, which further drove the resort's occupancy rate in the last few months.

Aside from individual and small group domestic bookings, Vazzoler said that the chic resort, which has the largest accommodation count on the island, has also lured the active Meetings, Incentives, Conference and Exhibition market.

The promising tourism sector in Cebu prompted the resort to invest on renovations and it recently opened its new and expanded main restaurant service called the "Tides". The restaurant can now accommodate a total of 372 diners, from the previous capacity of 150.

The resort will complete the renovation of its lobby and reception facilities by December this year.

At present, the 547-room Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort is running at an average occupancy rate of 80 percent, an above industry-wide figure.

Vazzoler added Cebu's potential to attract more domestic as well as international tourists can be maximized if air, and sea port connectivity will be further developed.

He mentioned that the opening of more direct flights from Japan to Cebu has also brought the tremendous growth of Japanese market to Cebu, as well as direct flights from countries in Asia like Hong Kong, among others.

Based on the latest Euromonitor International release, the number of domestic trips taken in the Philippines increased by 17 percent in 2012. This robust growth can be generally attributed to the favorable economic conditions in the country.

The increasing availability of affordable airfares due to the proliferation of low cost carriers in the Philippines and the constant stream of events being organized by key players in both the public and private sectors such as sports competitions, music festivals and trade fairs in various cities and provinces across the Philippines, also played a major role in terms of boosting domestic tourism flows during 2012. — (FREEMAN)