IRENE SINO-CRUZ
The Cebu Travel Catalogue International 2022 banks on people’s eagerness to travel after having been cooped up for so long because of the pandemic.
It is an annual event organized by Cebu Tours & Travel Association with Cebu Alliance of Tour Operation Specialists.
The Cebu Travel Catalogue International, with its theme “Explore the World Again!”, aims to help in the recovery of the tourism industry after the country reopened its borders to fully-vaccinated foreign tourists and the revitalization of domestic travel.
The participants include airlines, hotels, resorts and travel agencies who offered discounted deals.
Cebu Travel Catalogue International Chair Angelita Dy explained that “revenge travel” will help in revive the tourism industry as people were not able to travel in the past two years after the pandemic occurred.
(L-R) CTTA President Joan Tiu with CTTA Vice-President and Cebu Travel Catalogue International Chair Angelita “Baby” Dy
“It’s time to explore Cebu, explore the world again,” Ms. Dy said. She urged everyone to visit the event and attend various presentations on tourism.
Regional Director Shalimar Tamano of the Department of Tourism in Central Visayas urged the private sector to hold more tourism promotion events. “It’s a continuation of what we have been doing in the past two years. We started with ITF (International Travel Festival) a few months back,” he recalled.
The DOT7 director explained that domestic tourism is still the key to recovery of the tourism industry. “Even if we open our borders, the tourists can come in but it would still be difficult for them to return to their country due to the restrictions.”
Regional Director Shalimar Tamano of the Department of Tourism in Central Visayas
To encourage domestic travel, DOT7 is strengthening its promotion by developing various products such as culinary and farm tourism.
RD Tamano disclosed that 50 Japanese students have arrived in Cebu to study English as a Second Language, which signaled the return of physical ESL classes in the region.
Another source of possible growth in arrivals is the diving market. “A lot of our tourists in the region are divers,” the DOT7 regional director said.
He projected the eventual return of the region’s main markets – Korea, Japan, China and the rest of northeast Asia.
Speaking during the opening of the Cebu Travel and Tour Catalogue, Tamano also welcomed the appointment of Liloan Mayor Christina Frasco as the incoming Tourism Secretary. “This is good for Cebu, the region and the rest of the country,” he said.
Meanwhile, Councilor-elect Jocelyn Pesquera, who chairs the Cebu City Tourism Office disclosed that they are now developing several tourism products to entice tourists to visit the city and stay here longer.
Cebu City Tourism Office Chairman Councilor-elect Jocelyn Pesquera
Pesquera said the city will be launching more coastal tourism products, on top of the sunset cruise launched last year.
This year, the city will include the Badjao village to showcase their history, arts and culture, she said. Cebu City will also launch tourism maps and apps.
