BPO sector fuels growth in Cebu's nightlife industry

CEBU, Philippines - The unabating growth of the Business Process Outsourcing sector has likewise fueled growth in Cebu’s nightlife and club industry.

Although regarded as still in the “infancy” stage, the promising nightlife business in Cebu is seen to provide opportunities for entrepreneurs as demand for more choices of night-life joints continues to expand.

Wayne Congmon, who operates Cable Car and Song Hits Family KTV, said that the BPO sector is a blessing to the nightlife business in Cebu.

In fact, Congmon recently invested about P1 million to renovate the three-year-old Song Hits Family KTV located in Banilad Town Center, to keep up with the competition and sophisticated preference of the nightlife market.

Congmon said while restobars also benefit from the surging tourist arrivals in Cebu and the high disposable income of over 100 thousand BPO employees, KTV outlets are also enjoying the same benefits, stressing "everybody wants to sing."

While foreign tourists are also vital to restobars and clubs, Congmon said the KTV segment likewise largely attracts the Filipino market.

The affordability of the hourly rate and the reasonable price of the food and drinks are one of the considerations to survive in the competitive KTV market as Filipinos, despite income upgrade, are known to be very conscious when it comes to quality and prices.               

High disposable income and good economic growth of Cebu has paved way to a more stable nightlife industry in the metropolis, said Congmon.

In fact, because of Cebu's unsaturated nightlife and party market, it recently attracted international players as well as established names from Metro Manila to invest in Cebu. — (FREEMAN)