Sun.Star Economic Forum

DURING the debut of this column last May 9, we talked about the 4th Sun.Star Economic Forum held last August 2007 to discuss the problems of Cebu’s tourism industry.

Stakeholders from the industry—from hotel and restaurant operators, to tour operators and mall owners and representatives from the Department of Tourism—weighed in on the issues of manpower, transportation, cleanliness and road infrastructure, saying improvements in these areas could improve the travel experience of tourists, give Cebu a better image, and possibly encourage repeat visits or recommendations to visit the Philippines.

At the end of the conference, the Sun.Star Economic Forum (SEF), a deliberative and advocacy body working for the growth and development of Cebu and Central Visayas, came up with resolutions, setting the stage for its push into advocacy. (more)

CEBU is not just an island in the Pacific. It is an economic powerhouse.

Accounting for 46 percent of exports in the Visayas and Mindanao and 17 percent of foreign tourism in the Philippines, it is the main driver of growth in Central Visayas, the fifth largest economy in the country. It is against the backdrop of Cebu’s unrelenting drive to succeed that the Sun.Star Economic Forum now presents itself as a proactive partner.

The Sun.Star Economic Forum (SEF) aims to become a catalyst for Cebu’s economic prosperity.

A deliberative and advocacy body working for the growth and development of Cebu and Central Visayas, the SEF relies primarily on the Sun.Star newspaper and website for the dissemination of its advocacies. It is in this spirit that we begin today a twice-monthly column.(more)