* The Cebu Provincial Tourism Office is developing a P1.9 million online booking platform and directory to provide verified information and connect tourists with accredited, legitimate tour operators.
* PTO head Rowena Montecillo stated that the Provincial Government will not earn from the project, which will be submitted for review by Gov. Pamela Baricuatro in August 2026.
* The initiative responds to sluggish tourism arrivals and digital fraud, following a DOT 7 report that recorded 183 booking scams in Cebu resulting in P1 million in traveler losses.
AMID growing online scams and sluggish tourist arrivals in the first quarter of 2026, the Cebu Provincial Tourism Office (PTO) is developing an online booking platform to provide visitors with verified information on the province’s tourist destinations
and activities.
Part of the PTO’s digitalization plan, the P1.9 million project aims to connect tourists with legitimate tour operators and accredited accommodation establishments.
Destinations
PTO head Rowena Montecillo said the platform will feature destinations across Cebu and the tourism services available in each area.
“All the destinations will be there and, of course, the offerings. For example, if you click on canyoneering, you will see which tour operators offer the activity and their rates so you can plan,” she told SunStar Cebu on Thursday, July 16.
Online tourism directory
Montecillo said any tourism business may submit its information for inclusion on the platform and clarified that the Provincial Government will not earn from the service.
She said the project will function only as an online directory of verified tourism information. Tourists will be redirected to legitimate tour operators for bookings and other transactions.
“The Province is just facilitating the access… because, again, there are a lot of problems when it comes to scams,” she said in a mix of English and Cebuano.
The project is in its first phase, with consultations continuing with local tourism offices. It will be submitted for review by Gov. Pamela Baricuatro during the first week of August.
Booking scams
A SunStar Cebu report published on March 23 said travelers in Central Visayas lost about P1 million to online booking scams.
The report said the Department of Tourism (DOT) 7 Tourism Regulation Division recorded 183 booking scam cases in Cebu.
Authorities said scammers steal promotional photos from legitimate tourism businesses to create fake Facebook pages, tricking unsuspecting tourists into sending payments.
Earlier this year, DOT 7 launched the “Cebu and Bohol Turista iWAS Scam” campaign to help protect travelers from digital fraud through public awareness efforts and the promotion of verified online booking platforms. / GABRIEL SOLAMO, UP CEBU INTERN
