Art + Tourism

CEBU, Philippines - A Norwegian national who has over 22 years of expertise in visitor information assistance in central Oslo region is looking at promoting his outfit - City Partners - here by "presenting something that is unique to Cebu, something that captures the genuine culture of the people in the Philippines."

Bjorn Norman, 70 years old, currently a resident of Barangay Guadalupe, takes the pleasure of having the internationally well-known painter from Cebu - Celso Duazo Pepito - in his team.

"We feel he has, with his great ability, presented much of the cultural soul of the Filipino working people through his unique paintings of everyday life, which represent care, joy and the struggle for a better future," Bjorn said in a casual chat at Sharnica Suites wherein Doors 1, 3 and 4 are being transformed into an art gallery and his office.

"Therefore we are grateful to have Celso and his wife Fe Madrid Pepito with us on our opening ceremony (last February 10) and also in the role as our future advisers to City Partners-Cebu," he added.

The official opening event of the City Partners-Cebu last Feb. 10 dubbed "Art+Tourism" which goes by the tagline "making art as a potent tool in tourism development" is a month-long exhibit by Pepito at Units 1, 3 and 4 of Sharnica Suites with Mrs. Margot Osmeña, Mrs. Paulette Liu, Dr. Jorgen Lim, and Dr. Vincente Jo Verallo as guests of honor.

Based on a hard copy of information for the press dubbed "Historikk/Presse Bakgrunn", it was learned that it was in late 2009 when the idea to start City Partners in Cebu took shape. "This concept stems from people coming from Norway and Sweden who have found a new home in the Philippines. City Partners-Cebu focuses on developing individual tourism for Western visitors coming to Cebu by acting as a positive service provider and a link with existing actors/players," the info read.

City Partners, according to Bjorn, is a team of experienced local and Scandinavian tourist operators that in the near future will visit many local attractions, hotels, restaurants, famous tourist sites, medical/dental clinics, real estate agents and others that may be useful for tourists and business people staying here either for longer or shorter time periods. "We want to be an active service provider for future visitors to Cebu that will help give them a positive experience," Bjorn stressed.

In other words, City Partners-Cebu intends to provide better links between Scandinavia and the Philippines by participating in the development of Cebu as future destination for Scandinavian tourists. "We think there is much to be done in that respect. This process can be started by many small players contributing to different parts," he added.

As for Pepito, he pointed out that this is one of the directions he is aiming at --- to strengthen linkages so as to promote art tourism here to Scandinavians with a focus on tourist spots.

"Lisod man god if magsige tag paint og bisan unsa lang masulod sa atong hunahuna. Walay substance. Why not invest on our local tourist sites? Maka-promote pa tas atong lugar through artworks," he pointed out.

This perfectly matches the goal of City Partners to work with a team of Filipino professionals with experience in hotel operations, development projects in tourism, media communication, and network building. "We believe in providing personalized services to individuals, always easily accessible via telephone, the Internet, IM, Facebook, and other modern ways of communicating. We will have a team ready to answer and provide relevant and correct information," Bjorn assures.

Pepito's "Bukilat Cave in Tudela" (Oil on Canvas), for example, features one of the spots in Camotes Island promoted intensively by the Cebu provincial government through its "Suroy-Suroy Sugbo" events.

In the course of our discussion, Bjorn showed how some Norwegian magazines featured interesting places in Southeast Asia emphasizing more on "exotic destinations" like Laos and Cambodia.

"Where's the Philippines in all of these? True, it's in Southeast Asia, but how come it was left out?" he asked. "So we thought of investing in it as an 'alternative route' for those who might be interested in exploring the Philippines. However, a lot of work has to be done. I noticed that Filipinos have to be trained more on aggressiveness in marketing your strength. There has to be a comprehensive brochure you can offer and not just give to a visitor. Be open to ask if he/she has any other concerns. Tell him: 'Sir, have you been to Bukilat Cave, we can take you there. Or how about Moalboal? Here's an option for you seeking to explore the countryside. There's always a positive area in Cebu that you can explore.' Stuff like that. Filipinos have to put a lot of work into the promotions," Bjorn stressed.

Further, it was learned that beginning with the visual arts, Bjorn has already tapped a sector to join him on the official start of realizing the vision of establishing open collaborative relationships – those who have something of interest for tourists from Norge (Norway), Sverige (Sweden) and Danmark (Denmark). "Since the Norwegians represent the largest group from Scandinavia here in Cebu Island, we will start to market ourselves in Norway, before moving on to other countries," he also mentioned.

City Partners service team in Oslo assists with many issues including hotel bookings, houses and rooms or even work information, as well as events in the Oslo region and is always eager to be of help to make stay in Oslo better every time --- 24/7.

By the way, the Art+Tourism exhibit is a month-long activity so you can still catch schedule until March 10, 2011. (FREEMAN)