App to promote Cebu tourism in the works

CEBU, Philippines — An app that will initially boost the province’s flagship tourism program “Suroy Suroy sa Sugbo” will be introduced soon.

This after a group of tech start-up expressed interest to help the Cebu Provincial government’s active stance in promoting the province’s destinations through digital tourism.

These technopreneurs are offering their services for free to the Cebu Provincial government.

According to Tech entrepreneur Michael Cubos, founder of a business process management firm 360 Performance, the team is currently taking pictures and videos of the different tourism attractions in Southern Cebu.

“This will be an experiential app as users will have an option to experience the trail using VR [virtual reality] technology,” he said.

The Suroy-Suroy Sugbo program will be the pilot program that will be featured in the app, Cubos said.

Using the digital tools in activities will further entice global travelers and even locals, to join activity-based packages.

“This is also an added marketing boost for the province’s tourism industry,” he added.

The app will be introduced a week before the Suroy-Suroy Sugbo, a three-day activity slated on Nov. 15 to 17, 2019.

The app will also contain maps and QR codes of Cebu’s natural jewels.

This pro bono project is the group’s way of giving back to the community, while showing their openness to work closely with the government to capitalize Cebu’s high tourism potential under the digital-driven economy.

Earlier, Klook, a Hong Kong-based in-destination services platform, announced that it is pushing Cebu’s experiential tourism attractions, to quench the interest of active young travelers around the world.

The online travel services company, is currently selling Cebu’s activity-based destinations starting with Oslob whale shark watching, Kawasan Falls Canyoneering, island hopping, and the provision of chartered cars, said Klook market leader for the Philippines Michelle Cruz.

Klook Philippines will also introduced curated experiential tours for Cebu capitalizing the province’s wealth of appealing destinations for adventure and personal experiences.

As the preferred travel assistant for travel savvy millennials, Cruz said the young travelers are looking for unique experiences—“something they can own.”