Lapu-Lapu to launch 3 new tourism projects

THE Lapu-Lapu City government will soon launch three new tourism projects aimed at increasing the city’s tourism receipts and arrivals this year.

These new projects are the Old Opon Tour, Olango My Getaway and “Let’s Talk Dirty,” said Lapu-Lapu City consultant Jonjie Gonzales.

The Old Opon Tour will take tourists on a cultural walking tour to Birhen sa Regla church where tourists can witness and practice the old-age tradition of “panagkot” or lighting of the candle.

The tour will start at the Muelle Osmeña, which was for a long time the main portal to the then town of Opon. The tour will also cover the national shrine of Our Lady of Rule and the Lapu-Lapu Monument.

With Olango Island becoming the city’s new tourism frontier, Lapu-Lapu City will also launch a community-based tourism project called Olango My Getaway, a 25-kilometer bike and culinary tour that will go around the island with stopovers in every barangay to showcase various delicacies.

Staying ahead

Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza said these new tourism offerings are meant to make the city stay ahead in the highly-competitive tourism market.

“Tourism is driving our local economy. It creates livelihood opportunity and jobs. If we want to be the country’s top tourism destination we have to develop more tourism products,” said Radaza.

Meanwhile, the “Let’s Talk Dirty” tourism offering is a garbage tour in Soong, Mactan that will feature the city’s Materials Recovery Facility, which is reported to be the only MRF running in the country today. The facility’s composting practices led to the establishment of an organic vegetable farm. The tour will teach visitors the importance of recycling, composting and protecting the environment.

Radaza said the new offerings are a result of cultural mapping workshops participated in by the Sangguniang Kabataan. The team also underwent product development seminars to help them in developing new tourism products.

Lapu-Lapu City tourism head Hembler Mendoza said the thrusts of the city’s tourism council this year are eco-tourism and barangay tourism.

He said that with the many sports activities in the city, it will also embark on new tourism projects with the involvement of the sporting community.

Mendoza said they have already involved the communities in various trainings and discussions for various tourism-related projects.

Leisure

Known to be a leisure destination because of high-end resort hotels and pristine beaches, Lapu-Lapu City has in the past two years also become a destination of international sports events.

It hosted Ironman 70.3 Philippines, which gathered almost 2,000 athletes from 31 countries, and two Davis Cup events.

This year the city outlined four sports events, two of which were already concluded: the Ronda Philippines, the fourth biggest cycling event in the world that gathered some 96 top cyclists; and the Davis Cup tournament between Philippines and Syria.

Next month, Lapu-Lapu City will host the All Women Ultra Marathon that will start at the Plaza Independencia Cebu and end at the White Sands Resort in Maribago. Officials of the city are also in talks with organizers for another Ironman event this year.

Gonzales said these sports events have increased tourism receipts in the city and provided more jobs to its residents.