Wednesday, October 08, 2008 DOT promotes Cebu weddings
APART from promoting Cebu as a shopping and adventure tourist destination in the country, Department of Tourism (DOT) officials are now repositioning the province to be a wedding venue for foreigners.
This is because Cebu has vacation sites that are ideal for a couple’s dream honeymoon, said Tourism Undersecretary Phineas Alburo.
He added that these sites can be packaged easily with sacred matrimonial ceremonies that can also be organized here.
In a phone interview, Alburo said local travel agencies often receive requests from foreign tourists, especially Japanese and Koreans, for wedding ceremonies in Cebu.
Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano said that more than 450,000 couples chose to hold their wedding ceremonies outside Japan every year, posing a potential market for the Philippines.
“They are attracted to the local color that we offer. Oftentimes, they choose to be blessed at Fort San Pedro before riding a beautiful tartanilla to their preferred place or reception area. These foreigners are continually seeking for something new and different,” Alburo explained.
DOT 7 reported 103,139 Korean visitors and 73,642 Japanese visitors to Cebu from January to June this year.
Alburo also noted that hotels, like Shangri-La’s Mactan Island Resort and Spa, are constructing facilities to cater to the demands of foreigners who do not only want to hold wedding ceremonies but also ask for an ideal honeymoon spot in Cebu.
Alburo disclosed that Cebu used to be aggressively promoted as a wedding destination but, eventually, it was not given much attention.
“Now, it’s a renewed fad and we are renewing our position because we have the potentials here,” he said.
He believes that once Cebu and the country will be established as a wedding destination, the results will create a “positive domino effect” that will result in more investors in support sectors, like resorts, hotels and food industries. (NRC)
