CEBU needs to attract more investment in tourism infrastructure, connectivity and hospitality businesses to strengthen its position as a regional economic and tourism hub, a top industry stakeholder said.
Speaking during the recent Cebu Hotel Connect 2026,
Samantha Manigsaca, chairperson of the summit, said Cebu and other destinations in the Visayas and Mindanao have significant room for growth as travelers increasingly seek experiences tied to culture, food, wellness and local communities.
“Cebu should not simply be a place people pass through. It is a place to stay, to meet, to invest, to build, and to return to,” she said.
She said realizing this potential would require sustained investments in connectivity and infrastructure, workforce development and long-term destination planning.
The opportunity extends beyond hotels, Manigsaca said, as tourism growth can create business opportunities for local enterprises and other industries supporting the visitor economy.
“We want Cebu, the Visayas, and Mindanao to be seen not only as leisure destinations, but also as places where businesses can grow, investments can flourish, communities can benefit, and the hospitality industry — and the industries around it — can move forward together,” Manigsaca said, who is also the vice president of hospitality at AppleOne Property Inc.
She said tourism development should also be measured by its impact on communities, including whether projects create employment, support local businesses and preserve the character of destinations.
“The true measure of success is not only whether a project performs well, but whether the community around it is better because it exists,” she said.
Manigsaca said closer cooperation among developers, hotel operators, government agencies, tourism stakeholders, suppliers, entrepreneurs, educators and communities will be necessary to develop destinations outside Metro Manila.
Cebu Hotel Connect 2026, organized by the Philippine Hotel Owners Association Inc. (PHOA), brought together over 150 hospitality and tourism industry players to discuss investment opportunities and challenges facing the sector.
In a panel discussion, CCCI vice president for Business Mobilization Bernard Vonn Sia, said Cebu can further leverage its position as a gateway to the Visayas and Mindanao as convention facilities and other tourism infrastructure expand.
This could strengthen Cebu’s role in meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions, while connecting visitors and businesses to opportunities across the region.
The CCCI official said the next phase of tourism development should focus on ensuring that growth translates into broader business activity and reaches more communities across the Visayas and Mindanao.
The summit held at Sheraton Cebu Mactan Resort last Sept. 24-25, 2026, sought to broaden the industry conversation beyond Greater Manila and promote Cebu, the Visayas and Mindanao as destinations for tourism, business and investment.
According to Benito Bengzon Jr., PHOA executive director, Cebu was chosen as host destination because of its rapid development and strategic role as an economic, tourism, and transportation hub in the southern Philippines. / KOC