Wednesday, July 16, 2008 Board seeks review of free tourist mag at airport By Linette C. Ramos Sun.Star Staff Reporter
FOR promoting too many girlie bars and karaoke joints, the Cebu Tourism Board is asking for a review of the contents of tourist guide booklets being distributed at the airport’s arrival area.
Tourism industry players raised the need for better tourism promotional materials, comfort rooms, cleaner streets and police visibility in areas frequented by foreign and local tourists. They also scored the traffic problem in the city.
Stakeholders discussed what is being done to address their concerns on “deplorable” sights like beggars, vendors and street children in tourist spots, specifically at the vicinity of the Magellan’s Cross on Magallanes St.
During the Cebu Tourism Board meeting yesterday, Cebu City first lady Margot Osmeña informed the board of the BigIsland Visitor’s Guide, which she said contains advertisements that are “too girly-girly.”
Not appropriate
“It’s not obscene but it’s also not appropriate because it’s not what we want to offer. That’s not what we want people to come here for. You can’t deny that these things exist, but it’s also not what you want to focus on,” she told reporters after the meeting.
Osmeña, who sits as one of the commissioners of the Cebu City Tourism Commission (CCTC), got a copy of the booklet last Sunday, which she said are being distributed to passengers at the arrival area of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA).
“There are no bad pictures of women but too many bars are being promoted, and there are a lot of photos of girly bars, as if we’re one big city of bars,” she said.
But as soon as they learned about the officials’ concerns, the owner of BigIsland called the office of Osmeña to discuss the body’s concerns.
The owner, who declined from giving his name, said they will be happy to follow the recommendations and agreed not to publish advertisements of girlie bars.
Standards
“We’re helping the local economy in terms of promoting tourism and small businesses. But if the community has certain standards, we’ll be happy to abide by those standards. I’ve spoken to Mrs. Osmeña and I agreed with her, those ads will no longer be published,” he told Sun.Star Cebu.
He said, though, that authorities should apply the same standards to all tourism promotional magazines operating in Cebu.
BigIsland places advertisements of small hotels, massage spas, restaurants, bars and travel agencies in Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor and Oriental Negros.
Ahmed Cuizon, public affairs manager of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA), said he will recall the booklets so they can check its contents.
He admitted that he is not aware of any mechanism in place that checks the content of booklets and other tourism promotional materials being distributed at the airport.
In a phone interview last night, Cuizon said he already checked the magazine and while they are reviewing all the materials, they will come up with guidelines on what should be allowed to be distributed at the airport.
“We will recommend suspending its distribution temporarily until we are able to talk to the publisher and draft a set of guidelines on what material is acceptable,” he said.
Representatives of the Cebu Association of Tour Operators (Cato), Hotel, Resort and Restaurant Association of Cebu (HRRAC), and Cebu Tours and Travel Association (CTTA) attended the meeting at the Cebu City Hall social hall yesterday.
Among other things, they raised concerns on:
l the lack of police visibility and cleanliness at the Freedom Park, Carbon market area and other tourist spots;
l lack of traffic lane, parking space for tourist vans and buses;
l need for cleaner streets, especially Fuente Osmeña area, Gen. Maxillom Ave., Colon, Magellan’s Cross and Parian area;
l poor maintenance of comfort rooms at the Fort San Pedro,;
l better or more directional signs for landmarks with historical data that will showcase the historical sights;
l lack of street lights in major avenues in the city and at the vicinity of the Cebu International Convention Center;
l traffic problems in Banilad, Ayala Access Road, Salinas Drive and Mabolo presence of prostitutes and pimps thriving on hotel guests, and misbehaving Korean tourists and businessmen;
l and zoning of open entertainment bars that produce loud music causing inconvenience to hotel guests
During the meeting, Cebu City Vice Mayor Michael Rama and city councilors pledged to address the concerns of the tourism industry players to make the city more tourism-friendly. (LCR)
