A YEAR after the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX) opened, the mayor of Cordova town feels the bridge has had no significant impact on local tourism.

Mayor Cesar Suan said on Friday, May 26, 2023, that the number of visitors in the town remained the same and not a lot of people use the bridge to go to key tourist destinations.

The CCLEX, an 8.9-kilometer expressway connecting mainland Cebu to Cordova, aimed to improve economic activity through safer, faster and more convenient means of transporting goods and people.

Since it opened in April 2022, the CCLEX has so far catered to 3.6 million vehicles.

If there was any increase in the number of tourists going to Cordova, Suan said it is primarily due to the opening of the marine sanctuary in Nalusuan.

“Ang amoa man gyud tourism sa Cordova kay wala man gyud sa baba, naa man gyud sa dagat,” he said. (Our tourism activities here are mainly at the beach).

He specifically cited Bantayan Bay, which is about to be reclaimed and developed through a public-private partnership with Premium Megastructures Inc.

The floating cottages, which used to be one of the attractions at the bay, were closed to the public and were eventually demolished due to the high level of fecal coliform found in the seawater.

The Provincial Government will initiate the redesign of the floating cottages through a design competition, but the local government is still waiting for the project to start. (RJM)