Cebu needs right infra, facilities to attract high-spending visitors

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu’s potential to attract affluent and high spending tourists from all over the world, should be complemented with right infrastructure and facilities that could service their discriminating taste. 

“Cebu needs more five star or six star hotel and resort facilities. It needs signature brand shops, nicer and bigger museums, and more attractions that could entice the high end foreign tourist market,” said National Association of Independent Travel Agencies (Naitas) chairman emeritus of Bobby Lim Joseph.

Although, Cebu has potential to hit the six million arrivals in the short term, he said it could generate high tourism receipts, if it were to intensify its call to invite high investments in the tourism services and products sector.

“We have to develop Cebu as high end destination, thereby attracting the big MICE [Meetings, Incentives, Conference and Exhibition] market from all over the world,” Joseph said.

While the province is already well-known as a destination that offers both business and leisure attractions, it has move further in seizing the high-spending travelers, and offer what this particular market is looking for.

“Cebu needs big amusement park area [that is world class],” Joseph said emphasizing that the current road network should also be fixed.

Because of this potential, that could bring Cebu more revenue generation, the government both local and national should make a plan and give a more attractive environment to lure sophisticated traveling market.

Likewise, tourism player expatriate Alfred Portenschlager said that if Cebu is going to take advantage of its potential to get the high-end business and leisure travelers all over the world, it has to work hard on putting on right infrastructure and providing travel accessibility should be the first priority.

As an expatriate, Portenschlager believes that Cebu has all the charm to attract the wealthy travelers providing that proper infrastructure should be in place.

Portenschlager, who is also the general manager of the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino said that aside from putting off support services for the high end market such as offering world-class accommodation facilities and services, travel accessibility is very important.

Although there are a number of low-cost airlines providing travel access to different destinations in Asia, Portenschlager said business and the wealthy travelers prefer convenience over cost.

The foreign hotelier said that Cebu should not cheapen itself as a destination, because it has huge potential to attract the middle to high-end market, which can afford to spend more on transportation cost, leisure, and others.

He added that it is “hard” for the business market to be forced to transfer to low-cost just to get to Cebu. Otherwise, there are wide alternatives for a business and leisure destination among the Asian countries.