Tourism advocates laud Cebu’s latest accolade

CEBU, Philippines - Local tourism advocates seemed not surprised but rather expressed pride as Cebu was hailed as one of the best and most affordable places in the world to retire.

According to an article from “Yahoo! Finance”, Cebu is one of the six cities in the world that are recommended for Americans to retire without having to spend too much.

Based on Live and Invest Overseas’ Retire Overseas, the publication and research firm specializing in overseas living used 12 factors as an index to determine the best cities to retire such as “climate, whether English is spoken, cost of living, health care and infrastructure, to determine the best cities to retire.”

The list of the six top places also include Chiang Mai in Thailand, Cuenca in Ecuador, Granada in Nicaragua, Hoi An in Vietnam and El Poblado, Medellin in Colombia.

These cities that offer both affordability and luxury, as the article cited, require only $1,250 per month to cover all the living expenses

Former secretary of the Department of Tourism and 5th district congressional post winner Joseph “Ace” Durano said that Cebuanos can testify themselves how Cebu has been proclaimed as one of the retirement hubs given its small town ambience, pristine nature, and cosmopolitan amenities to name a few.

“All of us here in Cebu can easily relate to this article. Why we Cebuanos can’t imagine living elsewhere is probably the same reason Cebu is cited as a great place to retire,” he stated.

Durano’s statements were supported by National Association of Independent Travel Agencies (NAITAS) chairman emeritus and tourism prime mover Bobby Lim Joseph who said that the good news was already expected as more locals are building their homes in Cebu where they can enjoy their retirement in the future.

Joseph further noted that the attraction of Cebu to foreign residents could be attributed to the accessibility of the area to other foreign cities through the Mactan Cebu International Airport, international flights available to and from Cebu, tourist influx, expansion of housing developments in Cebu that meet the global standards, improved medical industry, resort-living inspired residential projects, economic growth, low cost of living and progressive countryside and urban developments.

He also cited that Cebuanos possess better English-speaking capabilities which in return, make foreign retirees to get comfortable living in Cebu without worrying with the language barrier.

“To top everything, Cebuanos are very friendly, industrious, creative and truly attractive,” he told The FREEMAN. 

In an earlier report, Governor-elect Hilario “Junjun” Davide III considered the inclusion of Cebu on the list of world’s retirement havens as a true manifestation of the potential of the province in terms of tourism.

Davide, in a recently-concluded tourism congress last month, emphasized tourism as one of the priority areas that his administration would focus on.

The international article described Cebu as “a developed province in the Philippines, has some of the most beautiful natural landscapes in the world: narrow coastlines with bright blue waters and limestone plateaus offset by rolling hills and rugged mountains.” /JOB (FREEMAN)