Tourists returning to Cebu as COVID curbs relaxed
A tourist swims with the whale sharks of Oslob town in southern Cebu in this photo taken in December 2020. (DALE G. ISRAEL/INQUIRER VISAYAS FILE PHOTO)
CEBU CITY—Foreign tourists start to return to Cebu as the country continues to ease restrictions amid the declining cases of COVID-19.
Shalimar Tamano, regional director of the Department of Tourism, said at least 50 Japanese students arrived in Cebu last Saturday, June 4.
The students from Nagoya were welcomed at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport.
“More are coming in the next few days,” said Tamano in an interview at the sidelights of the Food and Wine Festival media briefing last Monday.
These Japanese students will be in Cebu for a long period to attend English as Second Language (ESL) schools. The ESL will be starting their in-person classes after shifting to online classes for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tamano said Cebu is a favorite destination among ESL students because they could learn and at the same time enjoy the nearby tourist attractions.
“The difference in Cebu is that we have the countryside, we have the diving site, we have pilgrimage, we have the outdoors, and at the same time, we have technology and infrastructure. We have real malls, we have big cities, and Cebu is a metropolitan. We have the countryside, and we have the sophistication of cities,” Tamano explained.
Aside from ESL students, divers from other countries have started to arrive in Cebu. Their destinations are Malapascua Island in Daanbantayan, Cebu, and Moalboal. Most of the divers are from Germany and other European countries, according to DOT-7.
“These are exciting times for Cebu and the country,” added Tamano on the return of ESL in Cebu and other activities in the coming weeks.
One of the activities expected to attract domestic and international visitors this month is the Cebu Food and Wine Festival slated for June 18 until July 2.
The festival is part of DOT’s food tourism program.
For two weeks, the event will feature Cebu’s high-profile chefs and homegrown delicacies with international twists. It will be held in collaboration with the different resorts in Cebu.
