Cebu to draw in tourists amid infrastructure woes

CEBU, Philippines - Accessible roads, traffic, air connectivity are just a few of the concerns of the tourism stakeholders in Cebu in their bid to further boost the province’s tourism advantage, but an expatriate hotel executive believes that despite these infrastructure glitches, the province could still sell on its own, just like Thailand and Indonesia.

Swiss national Fritz Sommerau, general manager of the posh Kandaya resort in the northern part of Cebu, said that some famous destinations in Asia such as Phuket, Thailand or Bali, Indonesia also have problems on road access as well as distance, but tourists go there anyway.

Given the right promotional mileage to the international market, Cebu could even surpass the arrival volume consistently enjoyed by favored tropical destinations in Asia, including Phuket and Bali.

 Sommerau, who has decades of managing and operating hotels in different countries around the world, said that Cebu after all has good road network, especially going to the northern towns from the city.

 The only downside though, is the dense traffic in the Cebu metropolis, and in some suburban areas, although this problem is not isolated only for Cebu because it is also experienced by other urban destinations.

 "Cebu is a fantastic (holiday) alternative," he noted.

  Sommerau's observation coincides with what the Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Amanda Gorely, who recently said that Cebu has huge potential to be the next holiday destination for Australians, but the province's lack of promotion and absence of direct flight access to key cities in Australia hampered its ability to lure Aussie travelers.

Gorely said Cebu, has more to offer compared to Aussie's favorite tropical destinations like Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Cambodia.

Cebu's  island province's charm is yet to be known, she added.

"Your weather is a big attraction," said the lady ambassador adding that come-ons like the great beaches, world class resorts, amazing nature, whale sharks, exciting array of Asian cuisine, could surely excite big chunk of Australian travelers. (FREEMAN)