Davis Cup marks Lapu’s push to be sports tourism destination

THE Davis Cup in March, which is expected to draw in local and international guests, will boost Lapu-Lapu City’s promotion on sports tourism, Plantation Bay Resort and Spa general manager Efren Belarmino said.

Belarmino said sports tourism is something Lapu-Lapu City can maximize, aside from its promotion as a wellness destination.

He said the event will mark the beginning of the city’s move towards sports tourism, a market that can help bring more tourists to Cebu.

Belarmino said Cebu has already marketed itself as a leisure destination because of its beaches. The promotion of Cebu as sports destination can be another area where it can take the lead.

“Lapu-Lapu City is actually moving into this direction considering that we already have the beaches. The city, being a sports tourism site would be another area where we can help market the city,” Belarmino said. He cited the city’s Hoops Dome, an 8,000-seater arena, as a venue to host big indoor sports events like basketball.

The 2011 Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Group 1 event between the Philippines and Japan is said to be the biggest sporting event to be hosted in Cebu. The game, which will kick-off on March 4, will be played at the Plantation Bay Resort and Spa.

Belarmino said organizers of the event and the resort are already preparing for the international game. The construction of courts and bleachers are already underway.

Belarmino said the bleachers alone can accommodate up to 1,500 spectators.

Aside from the sports facilities, Belarmino also said the resort improved its rooms in anticipation of the guests arriving to witness the game.

While the local government of Lapu-Lapu City is very aggressive in the promotion of the city as a sports tourism site, Belarmino also said the resort will be working hard to bring in more sports activities.

Last April, Plantation Bay Resort and Spa hosted the Speedo National Age Group Triathlon Series.

Meanwhile, boxing promoter Samson Gello-ani said the promotion of sports tourism not only boosts the tourism industry but also helps spur economic activities in the city as spectators who would come in would spend money during their stay.