AFTER two consecutive disasters hit the province, the Cebu Provincial Tourism Office is set to present a tourism master plan that includes culinary mapping, as well as community-based and sustainable tourism.
The move comes after Cebu was struck by a magnitude 6.9 earthquake on September 30, 2025, followed by Typhoon Tino on November 4, both of which disrupted tourism operations in various parts of the province.
The earthquake’s epicenter was offshore Bogo City, affecting 12 northern local government units (LGUs): Bogo City, Medellin, San Remigio, Tabogon, Daanbantayan, Madridejos, Bantayan, Borbon, Sogod, Catmon, Tabuelan, and Santa Fe.
Typhoon Tino, meanwhile, battered parts of central Cebu and the Camotes Islands just a month later.
Provincial Tourism head Rowena Montecillo in an interview with SunStar Cebu on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, that the master plan integrates both a recovery, training plan, sustainability and marketing plan to help rebuild the province’s tourism sector.
“The master plan is there already but we are going to amend it, to be reviewed again by the Cebu Tourism Council and then as I’ve said, they will present it to the governor,” Montecillo said.
She said the tourism office, together with the Provincial Engineering Office, has deployed personnel to assess the extent of the damage, including the number of affected establishments and tourism workers.
“After Typhoon Tino, we could not immediately go because of clearing operations, but as soon as we can, we will finish the assessment,” she added.
However, while she assured that all domestic and foreign guests who checked into hotels and resorts in the affected towns were safe and accounted for, though some were temporarily stranded, Montecillo said that due to Typhoon Tino, an additional assessment under their office to some parts of central Cebu needs to be accounted for.
South Cebu is open
While the province continues its assessment in the north and central Cebu, Montecillo said the focus of marketing has shifted to southern Cebu, where attractions remain open and accessible.
“After the assessment, hopefully, we can continue our marketing plan for the north because right now, we can only promote the southern part since clearing operations are also being done there. What was supposed to affect only the north extended all the way down to Consolacion,” she said.
“The affected area has widened — instead of focusing our marketing efforts only in the north, we now have to include areas up to Consolacion and even a portion of Mandaue,” she added.
According to Montecillo, some certified accommodation establishments in northern Cebu were found to be structurally sound and are now being featured on the Provincial Tourism Office’s Facebook page while its official website is still being developed.
Montecillo said regular updates are being released online, especially for adventure activities like canyoneering in Badian, to ensure visitor safety.
“When we market, we always think of safety first. Adventure tourism remains very sellable, but we are also promoting pilgrimage tourism routes from Cebu City to Carcar, Argao, and Boljoon,” she said.
Culinary mapping, community-based tourism
One major component of the master plan is culinary and community-based tourism, particularly in northern Cebu, where each town has distinctive food traditions and local produce.
Montecillo said the province is collaborating with chefs to create training programs that empower communities — especially women — to prepare and serve dishes using locally grown ingredients.
“The governor wants communities to truly benefit from tourism. If we can teach them to cook using what’s available in their gardens, tourists can enjoy authentic food experiences while locals earn income,” she said.
She said culinary tourism should be experiential, encouraging tourists to witness food preparation — such as chicharon in Carcar, humba in Ronda, or hablon weaving in Argao — and understand the cultural stories behind each product.
“Pero it might be interesting to go down and to a certain place wherein they cook, to see the experience and we will just see how they do it…It is good na how is it done, who’s doing it, we want the community to do it para naa pud silay livelihood at the same time,” she said.
Montecillo said the Cebu Tourism Council is finalizing its presentation to Governor Pamela Baricuatro, which will include the marketing plan, training plan, and sustainable tourism framework.
Meanwhile, Halal tourism has already been approved, while culinary tourism — including a proposed culinary mapping project — will still be presented to the governor.
“Culinary mapping will help identify which towns specialize in certain dishes. We have many versions of food in Cebu — each one tells a story, and that’s what makes it unique,” Montecillo said.
The proposed culinary mapping project under the master plan will identify which Cebu towns specialize in particular dishes or products, showcasing the diversity of local cuisine across the island.
“We have many versions of food in Cebu — each one tells a story, and that’s what makes it unique,” Montecillo said.
Skills training and Halal tourism
The province has also been conducting rope rescue, basic life support, and water safety training for tourism workers in Alegria and Samboan, with more sessions planned until December.
As part of diversifying its tourism offerings, the province will launch its first Halal orientation training in Moalboal in partnership with the Provincial Muslim Affairs Office by early December.
“The orientation will be for supervisory staff who can share the knowledge with their teams. If successful, we plan to bring it to the north next year,” Montecillo said.
Despite the setbacks brought by natural disasters, she remains optimistic.
“We can only be hopeful in tourism. Whether affected by politics, natural, or man-made disasters, tourism will always find a way to recover,” Montecillo said. (CDF)