Tourism, business stakeholders to launch Cebu brand this week

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu is set to unveil its brand, defining the essence of Cebu, as it climbs to be one of the favorite leisure, business destinations of travelers around the world.

Led by the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) and Mega Cebu, the Cebu Brand Team, have finally come up with the right Cebu brand that will be used as platform in all promotional activities about the province–both in tourism and investment, said CCCI tourism committee chairperson Milagros Espina.

Espina said this unified effort is also supported by Cebu provincial and city governments, as well as the Department of Tourism (DOT-7).

"This historic event will define the essence of Cebu, its wealth of human and natural wonders in the global market, "said Espina.

The ceremonial and formal unveiling of the Cebu brand is set on November 13 at the Ayala Center Cebu.

"The branding conceptualization and process took more than five months where all initiatives to craft the distinctive concept of Cebu and express it in simple yet meaningful symbolization was finally captured through the collaborative efforts of the Team," said Espina.

In May this year, the CCCI Tourism Committee and Mega Cebu invited Singaporean branding expert Jacqueline Thng to conduct a workshop on the branding framework, followed by the CCCI Tourism Forum in June 19,2015, then series of interactive research- based meetings from August to November 2015, where stakeholders and the public shared their branding slogans and tag lines.

"But branding goes beyond slogans and taglines," said Espina, the reason why the Cebu Brand Team, which serves as "think tank" of this particular effort, made further study and series brainstorming to come up with the rightful brand of Cebu, as known as the "Queen City of the South."

The Publicis, through GMR Megawide, lent its help to create a brand logo.

"From all these initiatives, the Cebu Brand Teammates   pooled their expertise and experiences together and finally, came up with the Cebu Brand," Espina added.

Tourism players in Cebu had been working on to officially come with sustainable and integrated tourism brand for the entire province to tone-up the attractiveness of Cebu, primarily as a tourism and investment destination of choice. (FREEMAN)