Cebu to sign sisterhood pact with Chinese city

Cebu - Expect to see more of the Chinese tourists in Cebu this year.

This is because the Cebu Provincial Government, through Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, will sign a sisterhood agreement with the officials from Guangdong, China.

Garcia will be leaving for Guangdong sometime in March to sign a memorandum of understanding with the head of the foreign province.

The governor said Guangdong has not entered into any sisterhood agreement with any province in the Philippines until now.

She explained that the move is not just for the economic aid but for the promotion of Cebu, which the Chinese people have showed their love to.

 “It is encouraging to know that amidst the news on TV, you would think that the world is coming to an end. But through this, we are sending a positive message that Cebu still continues to be attractive,” Garcia added.

Bu Wei Nian, chief operating officer of the Dong Fang Corporation based in Guangdong, said that they love everything about Cebu.

Presently, the first batch of 1,000 Chinese from Guangdong who are composed of mostly businessmen, government officials, office workers and retired citizens with their families are here in Cebu.

Wei Nian said that this is only the start and Cebuanos should expect more delegations to arrive in the coming months.

Garcia is also seeing the possibility of having a special “Suroy-Suroy” for the next delegation of Chinese tourists.   Tourism Undersecretary Phineas Alburo said that there was increase of up to 75 percent of tourists who have direct flights to Cebu in 2008.

He said Cebu remains on top as the most favorite destination in the country because of the “leisure and relaxation” that it offers to guests.

Alan Dino, senior vice president for Dong Fang Corporation said that “Cebu is still the safest place, we don’t need to check or examine otherwise.” — AJ de la Torre/WAB (THE FREEMAN)