Promoting Cebu

On the Cebu Tourism Roadmap, my friend Paul believes that to get more tourists it would be of utmost importance to learn what our visitors actually expect to find here, not try to excite them about things that we just think are great. So what he did was to send an e-mail to some of his visitors (he has a place to house his guests who come to Argao town) who were excited about their “unforgettable” stay here. He simply asked them what exactly they liked and appreciated in Cebu.

The first reply Paul got was from a 40-year-old man who is a frequent business traveler commuting from Germany to various places in the Far East. His wife is 30 years old, born in Luzon, and they have a 5-year-old daughter. His response is very revealing, and various hints can be extracted from it that can guide us on our way to making Cebu fit for promotion. Here is the reply.

“For us it is nice if we can experience the local tradition and local way of life. It should not be tried by hooks and by crooks to implement or to copy European style. To find a Wiener Schnitzel on a local menu list is not very exciting. Local cuisine and specialties that can be savored in a clean and neat restaurant is definitely a highlight.

“Regarding accommodation: As a frequent business traveler, I have no other choice but to stay in hotels. Therefore, we prefer nice and decent resorts for our vacation, possibly built with local materials like wood and bamboo. This makes us feel we are in the Philippines. When one stays in a hotel one never really knows in what country one actually is; they are more or less all the same everywhere. We prefer resorts that provide a good swimming pool. During daytime, we prefer swimming in the sea; therefore, access to the seashore should not be too far away.

“The island should offer various activities because we cannot imagine just lying on the beach for all of ten days. A waterfall or a little quaint village, or a Spanish colonial church, or the possibility to just drive around the island by a rental car is fine. Important is that a variety of activities are offered to choose from.

“How to go there is an important aspect. For us personally, it is not so relevant, as we usually go on a three- to four-week vacation and thus can sacrifice one extra day more for the journey. Our friends, however, consider the long journey a negative point.

“Reliable rental cars at competitive terms should be easily available. The worst for us is to be on an island that offers plenty of attractive spots and there is no transportation to go there. During daytime, this might be less of a problem, but how about evening and night?

“We prefer an island that is well developed, that offers clean and neat accommodation and various attractive activities, which, however is not overcrowded with tourists like Boracay is, for instance.

“Bantayan has fascinated us. It is the cleanest and best-organized island in the region that we have seen so far. They provide garbage cans that are really used by the people and nobody just drops litter to the ground. We have seldom experienced that in the Philippines. There they have competitions for the cleanest and nicest village, and people indeed participate in them. The seven restaurants are built in a local style and serve local dishes, all fine and clean. They also offer small attractions like a floating bar. Only diving is not so good there. For this you have to go to another Island (for example Malapascua).”

The second reply Paul got was from a very well-traveled friend of his. The respondent and his wife are now in their early 70s. He was member of the Swiss Corps Diplomatique (diplomatic body) and his last assignment before his retirement was that of ambassador to Thailand. He wrote:

“Many thanks for your mail, which reached me upon my return from the Azores. Prior to that I was on Aruba and Curacao.

“We particularly appreciate that islands (among them, of course, Cebu) that make us feel this special island feeling, the encounter with locals and their specific features and qualities. Then, of course, we enjoy the local climate, which is just quite different from the one at home, and we greatly enjoy the splendid natural beauty, which invites us to go out for hiking or swimming or any other sport activity we like. All this we found in Cebu.

“What makes Cebu so special are the magnificent churches and the interesting other structures from Spanish-colonial and American-colonial time. However, in order to really be able to fully value their impressive architecture and the greatness of their artistic details, one should visit them with an experienced and knowledgeable guide like you.

“Furthermore, Cebu is a safe destination, which can be easily reached at reasonable rates, and which generally offers good hotel accommodation at various price ranges.

“Freda (his wife) and I often enjoy remembering our days in Cebu, and we are considering going back there some time in the future.”