Ayala mall project targets shopping tourists

The opening of the P2.9 billion Ayala Center Cebu  expansion project by the fourth quarter of the year will help fuel the thrust of making Cebu a top shopping destination in the country and complement the tourism industry.

Consul Robert Lim Joseph, chairman emeritus of the National Association of Independent Travel Agencies in the Philippines (Naitas), gave this statement in reaction to  Ayala Mall’s  topping off of its expansion project last week.

Joseph said these were the kind of investments that would help strengthen Cebu’s brand as a top tourist destination offering a wide range of activites from the countryside, beaches, and islands to its urban centers.

“More and more, major developers are seeing the potential of Cebu and pouring in investments that will add up to our attractiveness to tourists and even investors,” he said.

Topping Off

Last week, Cebu Holdings Inc. (CHI), which is the developer of Ayala Center Cebu, held the topping off of  the expansion  of the mall expected to bring in 200 additional

tenants.

“This project will strengthen Ayala Center Cebu’s position at the helm of shopping, dining, and entertainment, reinforcing its image as the icon style in Cebu,” said CHI chairman Antonino Aquino.

CHI president Francis O. Monera said the expansion would cover 2.5 hectares of property and would have a leasable area of 36,500 square meters.

Monera said the project would also adopt the existing mall’s zoning mix per level featuring higher scale brands such as Rustan’s as its main anchor store.

“The expansion will have a total of 200 stores in addition to the existing 450 stores of the existing mall. The first level will house mostly premium foreign brands that are still not in Cebu like Zara and Gap. There will also be European and American brands from mid to high-end fashion which we are sure Cebuanos will really love,” said Clavel Tongco ACC division head.

IT PARK MALL

Last month during their Annual Stockholders’ Meeting, CHI executives also announced their plans for a second mall in Cebu which would soon rise in Cebu IT Park.

“We’re doing the master plan and we expect these plans to materialize within this year,” said Monera.

Once operational, the second mall will again provide another lifestyle destination for Cebu.

In line with this, the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) has also included in their month-long Cebu Business Month (CBM) celebration this June the Great Cebu Sale on June 2.

CBM THEME

“CBM 2013’s theme “Excite Cebu!” shows the banner industries and sectors it will promote with Excite Cebu standing for “Experience Cebu’s Creative Industries, ICT and BPO, Tourism and Entrepreneurship towards Powering-Up for Global Business. For tourism, year’s CBM takes a step further with the launching of the Great Cebu Sale that will promote the region throughout the nation and abroad,” said this year’s CBM overall chairman Melanie Ng.

big Potential

Mila Espina, CCCI tourism committee chairperson, said Cebu would have a big potential to be promoted as a shopping destination in the country and later on to our neighbors abroad especially with Cebu’s active retail industry.

“Why not? Cebuanos love to shop and we have so many malls now in Cebu. We hope however that the retail establishments here will participate and join the activity as this will really benefit us in the long run,” Espina said.