In the past few days, Cebu has been busy hosting tourism gatherings, the most prominent of which was the four-day 6th International Tourism Forum for Parliamentarians and Local Authorities held at the Shangri-La Mactan Resort and Spa.
The event drew hundreds of tourism stakeholders from across the globe tackling the need to spruce up the industry as an alternative economic driver amid the worldwide financial meltdown.
In gracing the event, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo called on participants not to lose faith in tourism industry since it can alleviate the poor from poverty. In fighting poverty, the President said, tourism can help create employments and livelihood for the poor.
Several kilometers from the Mactan gathering, Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino hosted the first Russian Lifestyle Seminar in Cebu. The event was held in order for Cebuanos to know the way of life of the Russians, their culture, and the important role and influence they wield as major players in world affairs.
Records from the Department of Tourism show that Russian tourist arrivals in the country have been increasing. In fact, the Russians are beginning to find Cebu as one of the best places to visit in Southeast Asia.
For one, the holding of these tourism gatherings has placed Cebu in the center of the country's tourism industry, an opportunity that its leaders should cash in on. Cebu has already been flexing it muscles in attracting foreign tourists, but this is still not enough.
The country is still lagging behind the race to attract foreign tourists. While the Philippines has yet to reach the five-million mark in tourist arrivals, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Indonesia are already reaping the rewards of being prime tourist destinations in Asia-Pacific.
Today, the competition is fierce among Southeast Asian countries in the field of tourism. And the Philippines should have no reasons to be left further behind because it has what it takes to own a bigger share of the pie.
Being home to fine beaches and other unique natural wonders, the Philippines is one of the world's top tourist attractions. Sadly, it has yet to tap its full potentials to attain its goal of becoming Asia's top tourist destination.
But with Cebu's vibrant tourism industry becoming the hottest commodity, we can expect the country to catch up with its neighbors in the race for tourism supremacy.