THE 300-room Dusit Thani Resort Mactan has soft opened.
The hotel owned by Robinsons Land Corp. (RLC) is now ready to accept guests to show off the Dusit Thani brand of hospitality.
Dusit Thani Resort Mactan is RLC’s first resort project in Mactan.
Department of Tourism (DOT) 7 Director Shahlimar Tamano welcomed the start of Dusit Thani Mactan’s operations, saying its opening came just as Cebu needed more rooms to accommodate the growing influx of visitors.
Of the eight million tourists that visited Central Visayas last year, Cebu welcomed 5.6 million, both foreign and domestic.
The five-star Dusit Thani Mactan Cebu Resort is the centerpiece attraction of the 10-hectare AmiSa mixed-use complex in Barangay Punta Engaño, Lapu-Lapu City.
It will cater to international and domestic tourists and is positioned to be the top choice of destination for meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (Mice) activities.
RLC president Frederick Go, in a statement, said the group is taking a keen interest in the country’s tourism sector, and is taking advantage of Cebu’s new developments such as the opening of the Terminal 2 of Mactan-Cebu International Airport.
“Cebu is special and very important to us, and we will continue to expand our footprint in this metropolis. We are proud to be among the catalysts for the growth of the local economy,” said Go.
Cebu currently has 24,000 rooms available for transients, including the small pension houses.
Hotel, Resort and Restaurant Association of Cebu president Carlo Suarez believes Cebu is poised to enjoy healthy tourism business this year, as all players vow to step up Cebu’s gameplan in sustaining its growth and attracting more foreign tourists.
Suarez said Cebu now enjoys high occupancy, with no more lean seasons.
“There is no more seasonality now,” he said, noting that from the usual two nights’ stay in Cebu, guests now extend their stay to at least three to four nights.
Central Visayas recorded P44.2 billion in tourism receipts last year.
Average daily expenditure for a local guest stood at P1,200 while a foreign guest spends P6,597. (KOC)