CEBU’S tourism industry is threatened by traffic jams every day.
And while it gives unwarranted frustration to tourists and causes headaches to commuters and loss in revenues to businesses, Cebu’s tourism frontliners have found a way to make each guest’s stay worthwhile.
“We don’t tell tourists about Cebu’s traffic. We avoid telling them that,” said Mary Grace Melendres, president of the Cebu Association of Tourist Guides (CATG).
“When we feel they are already bored after staying long hours on the road, we stop in places we think would interest them,” she added. “We bring them to the markets, and other sight-seeing areas as an added service without raising the rates.” For Melendres, Cebu’s traffic has challenged them to go the extra mile just to please tourists and give them the kind of tourism experience they deserve.
But she admitted they have revised some itineraries to make tours comfortable and to avoid a long standstill on the road.
Instead of offering tourists a five- to six-hour one-day twin city tour, which covers Mactan Island and Cebu City, travel agents have expanded their offers, splitting the one-day twin city tour into individual tour offerings.
“With the state of traffic in Cebu, your usual five to six twin city becomes an eight-hour tour. So we expanded the options. Guests can buy a one-day tour for Mactan and one-day tour for Cebu City,” said Melendres.
Carlo Suarez, president of Hotel, Resort and Restaurant Association of Cebu (HRRAC), said that while traffic jams have caused revenue losses for Cebu’s economy, it is a “happy problem” for those in tourism.
On one hand, it offers opportunities for guests to stay longer and enjoy more of Cebu, said Suarez, adding that they help tourists plan their itineraries better so they’d get their money’s worth of vacation in Cebu.
From the usual two nights’ stay in Cebu, guests now extend their stay to at least three to four nights.
“We also see tourists now going out of the city to explore destinations in the southern part of Cebu,” he said.
He, however, asked the traffic officials to provide the public some alternative routes to decongest traffic.
Metro Cebu’s rush hours are between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.
When heading to the airport, tourists now are advised to leave 2.5 hours to three hours before their scheduled flight.
Judilyn Quiachon, supervising tourism officer and chief of staff of the Department of Tourism (DOT) 7, said this is the safest time frame for guests to leave their hotels and arrive at the airport in peace.
Besides a hassle-free arrival, being at the airport early (to avoid traffic jams) will give guests more free time to enjoy the services at the airport.
“There will be more time for them to do last-minute shopping and try out other food or products of Cebu,” she said.
For Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Antonio Chiu, “There is always something good that will come out of a difficult situation.” He said that while traffic congestion paralyzes business operations, it puts pressure on companies to implement measures that will make their operations more efficient.
Moreover, the high oil prices will likewise force all sectors to also review their activities.
“These put pressure on government to solve our traffic problem, which has resulted in huge losses to the economy of Cebu,” he said.