In a report provided by the Cebu City Public Information Office, City Tourism Officer Neil Odchigue said they are seeking a budget increase because they want to develop more tourism attractions and activities now that global tourism has resumed following the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions.
Odchigue said his office had an approved budget of only P16.8 million for 2022.
Odchigue briefed the City Council on his office’s plans during a budget hearing last Friday, Dec. 9, 2022.
He said the tourism office is developing new programs like the Japanese Heritage Tours, establishment of an island hopping and scuba diving port and a mangrove park, among other attractions.
The proposed amount also includes P4.9 million for promotional activities and materials that will market Cebu City as a tourism destination in other countries.
“Part of our endeavor in tourism is to market Cebu City not only to the Philippines but to the rest of the world,” he told the City Council during the budget hearing.
The P4.9 million will be for television and bus advertisements, maps, calendars, website hosting, social media pages and participation in tourism expositions, among others.
The tourism office wants to put up electronic billboards in key areas abroad, such as the Times Square in New York. It also intends to place ads in double decker tourist buses in London.
The New York City’s Times Square, a popular tourist destination and commercial and entertainment hub.
He said the idea was brought up after City Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera, who also heads the City’s tourism commission, shared that she recently visited London in the United Kingdom and saw an ad in a bus promoting the island province of Camiguin in Northern Mindanao as a tourist spot.
Sunset cruise
Odchigue said one of the new tourism projects they came up with is the Sunset Cruise, where a luxury yacht takes guests from the first bridge to the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway and the South Road Properties at sunset. The tourism commission and the tourism office launched the cruise last Sept. 30.
“We are coordinating with the Tourism Promotions Board and they will help us market Cebu City in the streets of London,” he said. (JKV, PR)