SOME 305 people, mostly retirees, Cebuano balikbayans and Taiwanese tourists, have registered for Suroy-Suroy Sugbo Northern Escapade.
“We’ve exceeded our target. We had a very happy problem,” said the officer-in-charge of the Cebu Provincial Tourism Office, Maria Lester Ybañez, on Monday, Jan. 13, 2020.
Ybañez said six buses from Silver Lines will bring the participants to Cebu’s northern towns including Bantayan Island.
“It was a big problem for me, but Gov. (Gwendolyn Garcia) said we still had to be happy about it. We had to turn down at least 70 people who would have wanted to join, but we have to consider the availability of rooms,” Ybañez said in a mix of English and Cebuano.
For its southern heritage trail last November, Suroy-Suroy Sugbo had 200 guests on board three tourist buses that took them to places in southern Cebu.
Ybañez said the number of participants increased this time because of the success of the tour to the previous trail.
The high-end package costs participants P14,000, while the low-end package costs P9,000. Both packages cover meals, transportation, accommodation and tourist kits for the entire activity.
The three-day activity will run from Jan. 22 to 24, 2020.
Karaoke
Since northern towns are farther from each other compared to those in the south, Ybañez said they will set up mobile karaokes in the buses to entertain guests apart from the usual overviews of the destination from tour guides.
Participants will depart from the Capitol compound at 6 a.m. on Jan. 22 and will head straight to Consolacion town.
They will then proceed to the towns of Compostela, Carmen, Sogod, Daanbantayan and Medellin.
More delicacies and cultural shows will be showcased on the second day by the towns of San Remigio, Sta. Fe, Madridejos and Bantayan.
The city of Bogo, and the towns of Tabogon, Borbon, Catmon and Liloan are the destinations on the third and final day of the activity.
A local government unit is given an hour to showcase its products and culture to the participants.
Other Suroy-Suroy Sugbo trails such as the Enchanting Camotes and Explore Midwest will be held in April and June 2020, respectively. (RTF)