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Thursday, February 12, 2004
Cebu tourist arrivals up
By Cherry T. Lim
CEBU saw a 5.28 percent increase in tourist arrivals in the first 11 months of last year, boosted by an amazing increase in foreign tourism in the month of November alone.
According to the Department of Tourism (DOT) 7, the number of tourists to Cebu increased to 806,911 in the first 11 months of last year from the same period a year ago.
In November alone, arrivals increased 11 percent to 73,881 after a 33.46 percent jump in foreign traveler arrivals to 26,394.
Koreans accounted for the largest number of foreign tourists to Cebu, making up 31 percent of the foreign tourists on the island, followed by Japan, with 19.34 percent, and the United States with 8.51 percent.
But there were triple-digit hikes in arrivals from Cambodia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India, New Zealand and Saudi Arabia in November.
Towards the last quarter of last year, top hotels and resorts in Cebu had reported good occupancy, saying the Iraq war and the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome outbreak earlier in the year had resulted in business conferences and other travel pushed for later in the year.
Honeymoon
Shangri-La’s Mactan Island Resort communications manager Neil Rumbaoa said October-November was also the “honeymoon period” for Koreans, with direct flights making it easier for more Koreans to spend their honeymoon in Cebu.
Last Tuesday, Marilen Dinglasan, manager-passenger operations of Thai Airways International, told Sun.Star the airline was studying the possibility of mounting direct flights to Cebu. “We are doing the market feasibility study,” she said.
Dinglasan was at the Cebu City Marriott Hotel to announce the decision of Thai Airways to start flights to Bangalore—its fifth destination in India —from Bangkok this year.
At present, Thai Airways flies only to Manila in the Philippines.
Relatively speaking, the DOT 7 growth figures show that Cebu performed better than the Philippines as a whole.
The Philippines registered 1.67 million in tourist arrivals in the first 11 months of last year, down 4.2 percent from a year ago, a report said.
Tourism players are now looking at better prospects for this year as the global economy recovers. The presidential elections in May are also seen to boost the travel business as candidates and voters move around the country.
(February 12, 2004 issue)
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