Thursday, November 01, 2007 Korean to invest in tourism
THE tourism industry in Cebu is expected to grow further with the entry of new investments, said an official of the Department of Tourism.
Tourism Secretary Joseph “Ace” Durano said he remains “upbeat” about prospects in Cebu with the plans of a Korean firm to open an integrated facility that includes a retirement village and a golf course, among others.
He said the firm, whose name he did not divulge, is now starting to purchase a 50-hectare property in the northern part of Cebu and may begin construction of the multi-million peso project next year.
The tourism department chief also revealed that another Chinese airline will open direct flights between Shanghai, China and Cebu starting next month.
Huge development
Durano said he still does not know how many rooms the future facility in northern Cebu will produce but it will be a “huge development” that will boost the province’s efforts to become a medical tourism hub in the country.
Cebu wants to develop itself as a medical tourism hub by providing hassle-free and efficient world-class medical care at less cost to tourists while they enjoy their tropical vacation.
The medical tourism industry is envisioned to include spa and wellness, retirement or rehabilitation homes, and medical or surgery.
Durano said the country, as a whole, is considered attractive to foreign patients because medical treatment here is less costly. He said the caring nature of Filipino health care personnel is also an added advantage.
“There is so much investor’s confidence in Cebu’s medical tourism industry.
Otherwise, they would not be willing to spend millions of pesos in developing that huge a property,” he said, referring to the Korean firm.
More flights
Meanwhile, Durano said the decision of China Eastern, the second Chinese airline company to open direct flights to Cebu from Shanghai, will make the province more attractive to foreign visitors.
In an interview with Sun.Star Cebu, Durano said China Eastern will launch its thrice-weekly Shanghai-Cebu flights this month.
The first direct chartered flight of China Eastern is expected to be fully booked, he added.
Last July, China Southern Airline launched its first direct flight from Shanghai to Cebu.
China Southern’s flight frequencies include four chartered and regular direct and indirect flights from Shanghai every week.
Earlier, Durano said Shanghai, which is the second biggest outbound market in China, will be a “very promising” market for Cebu since tourists from the area are one of the “most cosmopolitan.”
“Most (tourists flying) Shanghai-Manila are business travelers. But the tourists we get from (the) Shanghai-Cebu (route) are mostly leisure travelers,” he said.
DOT 7 records showed that Chinese arrivals to Cebu in the first seven months of this year rose to 7,880 from 3,856 in the same period in 2006.
The Chinese are one of the country’s target tourist market. (MMM)
