Davide highlights tourism as key driver in local economy

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III continues to emphasize tourism as one of the priority areas that his administration would focus on, pointing out that the sector is considered to be a key industry for the progress of the province.

Davide, who recently graced the Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2014 gala night held at Marco Polo Plaza Cebu, acknowledged the role of tourism as a key driver in the economic development of the country.

"Tourism accelerates the flow of the economy," Davide said.

He also said that tourists can be considered as valuable import commodity given their expenses on food, transportation and other needs while staying in a particular area.

This in return, he added, could help increase the income and purchasing power of the members in the community.

He further noted that although tourism efforts should be maintained by the government and the private sector, Cebuanos should still respect the tradition of the community and protect the environment.

"We do not need to be like any other country, we just want to enhance Cebu's own natural attractions and showcase its true beauty to the world," Davide stated.

Earlier, Cebu City was hailed as one of the three Philippine cities recognized by the Swiss firm New7Wonders.

In a recent report of Yahoo Southeast Asia Newsroom, the cities of Cebu, Iloilo and Vigan bested more than 200 other cities to be part of the "long list" of 77 that was revealed by New7Wonders President Bernard Weber.

The list of the 77 cities was based on the online voting results that started in March 2012. There were more than 300 cities initially considered from the nominations across the world.

It will be then trimmed to a list of 28 cities and will be subjected to another online voting by October 21. The top New7Wonders Cities shall be announced during the last quarter of 2014.

It was in 2011 when the Palawan's famed Subterranean River National Park in Puerto Princesa City was dubbed as one of the world's New7Wonders of Nature. /JMD (FREEMAN)