Pedro sainthood seen to draw in tourists to Cebu

TODAY’S canonization of the young Visayan martyr Pedro Calungsod can  increase the  attraction of Cebu to local and foreign visitors, the Department of Tourism in Central Visayas (DOT-7) said over the weekend.

“While it’s a national celebration, Calungsod is identified with the Visayas especially Cebu. This will give another reason for people to come aside from the Sinulog every January,” said DOT Regional  Director Rowena Montecillo.

Pilgrimage tours are usually tied up with leisure travel.

She said January is a peak season for Cebu because of the Sinulog and that if local tour operators can plan a package that includes historical and religious sites related to Pedro Calungsud,   tourist traffic would increase.

A templete is being built in the South Road Properties (SRP) for the Nov.  30 thanksgiving Mass, which is likely to remain as a monument. An  Archdiocesan shrine is named after Calungsod in   D. Jakosalem Street.

Islands Group president Jay Aldeguer said  the large number of people who lined  streets from Cebu City to the airport in Mactan to send off Calungsod’s official image last Tuesday  was evidence that many are interested.

“From a tourism standpoint, Cebu has, in the past year,  been really blessed and fortunate, with the canonization of Calunmgsod and the whale shark attraction (in Oslob), to draw more visitors to our place,” Aldeguer said.

Cecile Saa, Cebu Association of Tour Operators president, said  tour packages should be  well planned to draw domestitic travelers.

“They usually prefer to stay with families so tour operators must be creative,” she said. Reporter Aileen Garcia-Yap