Improved infra will boost tourism

EVEN with several countries issuing travel advisories discouraging travel to Cebu, a property consulting firm believes the effects of such warnings on local tourism will be short-term.

In a statement, Colliers International said Cebu’s tourism will be getting a boost from the completion of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport expansion.

“From January to November of 2016, Cebu attracted some 3.46 million domestic and foreign tourists, making it the most visited destination in the Philippines. The 2016 figure is 12 percent higher year-on-year. The continued surge of tourists in the city should provide an impetus for developers to ramp up construction of hotels and resort-oriented condominium projects,” the company said.

The P17.5-billion public-private partnership (PPP) project involves the construction of a new passenger terminal. The new terminal will have a capacity of 12.5 million tourists a year, almost triple the old facility’s original capacity of 4.5 million. The terminal is due for completion in June 2018.

The firm believes the upgraded terminal should entice more foreign carriers to mount direct flights to Cebu.

Aside from the MCIA expansion, Colliers expects Cebu to entice more tourists over the medium term with the completion of other key infrastructure projects that is seen to ease travel within the city, including a third bridge linking Cebu with Mactan island and the proposed bus rapid transit system.

“These major road transport projects should complement the rehabilitation and upgrading of national and local roads being undertaken by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH),” the company noted.

It also cited the lowering of air fares as airlines compete for bigger market share; approval of the Asean Multilateral Agreement in Air Services that allows Philippine air carriers to fly an unlimited number of times to the capital cities of other Southeast Asian countries; and Cebu’s emergence as a key meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) destination as developments that will propel Cebu’s tourism industry to better heights.

“With growing interest in Cebu as a MICE destination in the region, we encourage developers to apportion a bigger space for conference rooms and other similar facilities,” said Gerard Padriga, general manager of Colliers International’s Cebu office.

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