Push local tourism, Cebu gov urges resorts, hotels

CEBU CITY –– With local hotels and resorts starting to feel the effect of the 2019 novel coronavirus, Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia urged stakeholders here to promote domestic tourism instead.

In a press conference on Tuesday, February 11, Garcia said resorts and hotels need to focus on local tourism.

“Let us encourage domestic tourism. Let us continue to make Cebu more attractive to local tourists. It is a challenge to our hotels and resorts and those in the tourism industry to make it attractive for them (local tourists) to come to Cebu,” she said.

More than half of the Chinese visitors in the country go to Cebu annually. Data from the Chinese consulate office showed 700,000 of 1.3 million Chinese tourists in the country visited Cebu province.

Garcia said her Suroy-Suroy Sugbo program is one way of helping promote and encourage domestic tourism. There were suggestions to cancel the next Suroy-Suroy leg but Garcia refused.

Suroy-Suroy Sugbo is a provincial government “group tour package” initiative to promote local attractions.

In one day, participants in the quarterly Suroy-Suroy events allow people to see attractions in at least five to 10 towns in a convoy of several buses loaded with tourists.

The last event was held in January 2020 covering North Cebu and Bantayan Island. The next leg in April will be in northern Cebu and Camotes Island.

Garcia said the towns and cities, including its resorts, would also be encouraged to improve facilities with the coming of group tours./lzb