Just to make my point clear again, last year, Cebu’s total number of tourist arrivals almost reached the two-million mark at 1,922,238, which was broken down into 833,442 foreign tourists (including 10,243 overseas Filipinos) and 1,088,797 domestic tourists. The total represented an 8.7 percent increase over the previous year’s total tourist arrival of 1,768,234.
From 2006 to 2010, growth in tourist arrivals in Cebu averaged 9.0 percent annually for total number of tourists, which is broken down into 7.1 percent average annual increase for foreign tourists and 11.9 percent for domestic tourists.
By region of origin, top tourist arrivals in 2011 came from East Asia with 577,739, followed by America with 81,972 and Europe with 79,937. By specific country of origin, the biggest number of tourists in 2011 came from South Korea with 376,524, followed by Japan with 157,513 and the United States with 71,488. China accounted only for 24,873 and Australia, 22,100.
Like the whole country, Cebu also aims to make tourism as one of its growth drivers. There are many developments, both internal and external, that will impact the growth of tourism in Cebu. Some of these local developments that have significant positive potential for the area include major new investments on tourism related projects that have been recently completed, under way or planned in the various parts of Cebu, new private and public local and regional tourism initiatives focusing on tourism, new and planned intermodal transportation and related infrastructure facilities that support tourism, and new marketing strategies to put Cebu and the rest of the country in better light globally and fun to visit.
However, Cebu as an emerging regional tourist destination of choice in Asia could also face stagnation or ultimate decline if it does not reinvent or rejuvenate itself by addressing, proactively and strategically, the new challenges that are taking place within and outside of the country. Thus, the preparation of a new Tourism Development Plan for Central Visayas and Cebu that Director Rowena Montecillo of the Department of Tourism was talking about when she joined our meeting two days ago is both timely and necessary.
Even if we have the plan, however, Cebu may not really live up to its potential as did Bali in Indonesia or Phuket in Thailand. The problem lies in the fact that to implement a Cebu-wide plan we also need a Cebu-wide organization that could muster all the resources and efforts necessary to make Cebu ready for the influx of tourists.
In Cebu, foreign tourists, includes not only the usual vacationers, business travellers and related activities but also people seeking medical attention or wellness on one hand and ability to speak English, on the other hand.
I know that we already have hospitals and spas that offer international class services but I still do not have any idea how many foreign tourists come for this purpose to Cebu. Here is, however, the figure I just learned from a new friend who is one of those in the center of things in education tourism: as a group, Cebu’s English as a Second Language teachers are paid more than P20 million a month.
According to my friend, there are more than one billion learning English worldwide. In Asia only the people from three countries—Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines, could speak English well (Indians have different accent) and that Cebu is one of the favorite destinations for some foreigners to learn English. The trouble is that Cebu does not have an overall system how to profit more from education tourism. If the number of foreign students, mostly Koreans, coming to Cebu has increased in large number recently, it is due more to the efforts of some Koreans to make money for themselves out of this new manna, my new friend said.
Why should we promote education tourism in Cebu? My new friend said is that it could improve the economy of Cebu dramatically. Aside from teachers, thousands more jobs could be generated, not to mention the financial benefits that can be realized by many businesses here in Cebu serving the needs of foreign students.
Cebu has a lot of points favoring the growth of educational tourism, my friend said. It offers a wide range of ESL related courses and an articulation of programs would soon be available in some local universities and colleges. The main drawback is our lack of education tourism related facilities, like more presentable school buildings and classrooms, study rooms, and accommodation facilities specifically designed for incoming foreign students.
My friend said there is very little government active promotion or support for this new industry. Indeed, here is another potential just waiting to be fully tapped with great benefits also going to the government in form of more taxes generated from the increase in business activities made possible by the big amount of money spent by foreign students in Cebu. But what the heck, unlike the squatters, they cannot vote!