2019 ‘a banner year’ for region’s tourism

CEBU, Philippines — Tourism in Central Visayas, one of the country’s major tourist drawers, might just get more robust next year now that two new international airport terminals are servicing the region.

Shalimar Tamano, director of Department of Tourism-7, said the Terminal 2 of Mactan-Cebu International Airport and the newly-opened Bohol-Panglao International Airport are seen to bring in more tourists into the region.

“The two airports are pumping in more tourists to Central Visayas,” Tamano said during the inauguration of Cebu-Pacific’s flight to Macau last week.

He said the two new airports are seen to complement each other, brushing aside concerns that the new Bohol airport might dent the tourist arrivals in Cebu.

Tamano pointed out that “Bohol became big in the tourism sector because of Mactan airport.”

He believes the new air hub in Bohol will hopefully likewise bring in additional visitors to Cebu.

“Panglao will do the same for Cebu,” Tamano said.

The DOT official projected that 2019 would be a good year for tourism, banking on the sustained high occupancy rate in Cebu’s hotels.

Increased tourist arrivals are also pumping in more money into transport and restaurant businesses in the metro, he said.

Tamano therefore stressed the need for Cebu’s tourism stakeholders to ensure security and safety to sustain tourism growth momentum.

Moreover, adhering to environmental laws is key to make Cebu’s tourism sector more sustainable moving forward, he added.

Tourist arrivals in Central Visayas hit approximately 6.9 million last year, with Cebu as the region's top travel hub.

The 2017 tourist count surpassed the region's 6.3-million target for the year and posted a 17.13 percent growth from the 2016 arrivals.

The active movement of the Filipinos travelling to different destinations in the Philippines has benefited Cebu and the rest of Central Visayas region, as domestic travelers dominate the arrival volume of 58.33 percent with 4 million visiting the four provinces in the region, namely Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental and Siquijor. (FREEMAN)