Tourist attractions, not hotel rooms.

[LytSlpr]

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Tourist attractions, not hotel rooms.
by Lakshmi Sharma
Speak Out, Sun Star Daily Cebu

I AM a foreigner currently settled in this wonderful place called Cebu.

I always call Cebu my home.

My heart and soul is a Cebuano, too.

In the past ten years, I have seen Cebu grow to become a preferred tourist destination not just in the Philippines but also in Asia.

We have made a name for ourselves as one of the favorite getaway places internationally.

Now, it has been said many times that more tourists are visiting and the demand for room has increased dramatically.

In my honest opinion, Cebu needs attractions, not hotel rooms.

My view is that tourist arrivals in Cebu increased solely because tourists just drop by to take connecting flights or use other means of transportation to reach to our neighbors like Bohol, Boracay, Davao and Palawan.

Bohol is now building an airport.

Boracay's beaches are overshadowing our white sand blue waters.

Davao is getting more direct flights to other key cities.

Palawan has rich natural resources outnumbering Cebu's.

These places I mentioned will soon rival Cebu.

And if we don't reposition ourselves, we will be overtaken overnight.

Let's face reality.

We only rely on our beaches, Taoist Temple, Plaza Independencia and Magellan's Cross for our attractions.

Investors are rushing to build huge hotels.

It is good.

But what will happen if there is an oversupply of rooms because Cebu doesn't have enough attractions to lure tourists?

The key here is reposition.

We must create more attractions in order to compete head to head.

Perhaps you should build theme parks, museums, man made gardens or the world's biggest oceanarium.

Let us all focus our energies on creating attractions first and considering hotel room demands later.


I THINK WHAT THIS GUY IS SAYING IS RIGHT. COMMENTS ANYONE?

[rambutan]

when i saw the thread title, first thing na ako nahhuna2x is basin daghan burikat ngari cebu, that's why tourists attraction, not hotels.. hehehe

hmmmm.. bitaw sa.. sakto sad.. daghan bitaw mangari kay para muadto sa lain lugar.. specially kung muadto sa bohol..

naa bay studies ani to correct if it's wrong ?
kay basin pod wa lang ta kabalo na fully booked pod diay ang mga resorts in mactan, and other resorts in cebu..


pero, sakto jud pod na kelangan pa i develop ang mga tourist "spots" in cebu.. build theme parks, amusement parks, educational parks, jordin sParks, hehe

naay magtukod "Hollywood in Cebu", lain na thread ai.. can't wait..

[giddyboy]

that article, though an opinion coming from a foreigner is very true...

we have to develop more attractions like reviving our old Cebu Zoo. and what about that King's plan to build a water theme park in SRP? what about the planned museum in Ciudad?

what has happened na sa mga heritage locations like our centuries-old churches such as the one that got burned down sa Boljoon?

anyways, with that said, tourists are not only coming here to visit our tourist spots, but also to study, to have cheaper medical operations, do business, and GAMBLE...

that is why our education industry is booming. just look at UC for example. that is why foreign investment is booming. that is why gov't is promoting medical tourism also. that is why our casino industry is doing great these days...

and "Hollywood in Cebu"? that could be possible in the near future. basin mka tupong nata sa Manila in the long run, even outdo...we already have the International Academy of Film & Television for that matter. i guess naa ni cya sa Big Foot, Mactan. and i guess naa pud ang Fashion TV did2...

[angelicax]

I heard also some foriegners like cebu coz we have the 3S "Sands, Sea and ***" or "Sun, Sea and ***".

Mao cguro daghan Hotel Rooms.

Not only foriegners man guru sad mo check-in sa Hotel Rooms. Naa man sad mga locals lang nga mag dala ug partner nga dili nila Husband/Wife mo check-in. Mo reason out lang nga naa Seminar and workshop sa CEBU gi held...

Mao angay e prevent kay ma ngil-ad gyud kadugayan ta ani dinhi....

[godsaint]

Philippines has one of the most expensive accomodations and rates among Asian countries.Sakto gyud ni dapat tourist attractions ang unahon.Dapat ma satisfy ang tourist sa mga places kay mao man ang reason nganong nianhi sila.Hotel rates and services has been abusive to tourist.

[vern]

eh, screw tourist attractions ... what Cebu needs is an industry that doesn't rely on the business of people coming to Cebu, but a business of exporting Cebu's human resources out. Cebu is never going to be the best tourist attraction in the Philippines, because what Cebu has, others have better.

[fingolfin]

.. pfft, Cebu is never a tourist attraction to begin with. Those places he mentioned; palawan and boracay are THE tourist magnets in the philippines. Cebu is known for her explosive business lay-out not beautiful spots.

[BloomerBeak]

bitaw ai...kulang bitaw ug tourist spots ang cebu.. That's why I wasn't that impressed during my stay there. Makasawa man gud ang beaches ra pud.

[craz_beautiful_ava]

even if cebu is a booming business center we can still offer new areas as tourist destinations.. cebu still has hidden secretss that are yet to be discovered..and i bet it is way better than palawan or bohol..

economy and nature can still work in harmony wqithout having to hurt one from the other..it just depends from each and everyone of on hoiw to improve and showcase it to the world..

[love2travel]

Cebu has a lot to offer in terms of historical landmarks, old churches, and beaches (with diving and snorkeling sites)...
but I do get his point that we lack an amusement park or other attractions (such as water parks, zoos, etc such as what you see in Subic)...
and unlike Boracay, Palawan and Panglao, Bohol where you get to see a stretch of white sand, the beaches here are walled off to the public (you have to pay an entrance fee before you can enjoy the beach)