Exec: Cebu's tourism potential not maximized

CEBU, Philippines - While Cebu has become one of the desirable tourism destinations for both domestic and foreign tourists, it has yet to exploit its potential to drive tourism related revenues further, an industry leader observed.

Alejandra Clemente, past president of the Federation of Tourism Industries of the Philippines (FTIP), said that because of Cebu's natural charm, the province is already beating Manila.

"You have so much to offer — the beaches, culture and food. Foreign tourists love your food," said Clemente adding at despite this advantages, Cebu still lacks the vigor to introduce new and fresher tourism products to sustain the interest of travelers.

Clemente, who is also the chairperson of Rajah Tours Philippines said that in tourism, there is a need for constant reinvention of attractions and to introduce something that excites the market.

"You need more tourism products and you need to upgrade your tourism services to further grow your arrivals," she added.

At present though, Cebu is not a difficult product to sell in travel missions abroad as it has already gained popularity among foreign tourists," Clemente said adding that but its attractive quality should be enhanced constantly.

Sixty percent of Japanese tourists for instance are now more interested to visit Cebu, especially ow with several direct links between Japan and Cebu.

She also mentioned the importance of Bohol province to Cebu's tourism trade, saying "when selling Cebu, you always have to combine it with Bohol."

Cebu also needs cultural show facilities, among other amenities that support tourism.

One of Cebu's strongest tourist come-ons for instance, aside from beach, is its rich culture, but it has no concrete facilities and activities to emphasize culture.

What makes Cebu a much more appealing destination is its location, an urban island--the intertwined of leisure and cultural attractions.

"What seems lacking here are cultural show facilities. You need to have facilities that showcase nightly cultural shows regularly similar to Bangkok and Indonesia," she said stressing that Cebu should not forget to impress its tourists. "So they would come more often." —(FREEMAN)