JPark Island Resort & Waterpark, Cebu (CONTRIBUTED).
AS Lapu-Lapu City hosts the Miss Universe swimsuit competition on January 17 next year, a local tourism official assured that they would have enough rooms to accommodate the influx of visitors then.
Hembler Mendoza, the city’s tourism chief, said they are expecting “hundreds” of visitors to come during the week of the activity, most of whom could be candidates’ families, friends, and pageant enthusiasts from all over the world.
“We have enough rooms during the event,” he said at the sidelines of the media presentation of some of the candidates at JPark Resort & Waterpark in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu on Tuesday.
Among the candidates who came to Cebu were representatives of Vietnam, New Zealand, Thailand, China, Myanmar, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Miss Universe Philippines Maxine Medina.
With less than 24 hours of stay in Cebu, many of them already said they were going to come back with their families after the pageant.
Some hotels fully booked for event
He said they have almost 5,000 rooms available and that as early as now, some two- to three-star hotels have already reported to be fully booked for the event week.
Mendoza said he also considered the possibility that people visiting for the Sinulog festival in Cebu City on Jan. 15 would extend their stay to watch the pre-pageant activity on the island.
The pageant’s swimsuit tilt will be held at JPark on Jan. 17, which leads up to the coronation night on Jan. 30 at the SM MOA Arena in Pasay City.
Lapu-Lapu City has hosted at least five Ironman races in the past, but Mendoza said having been chosen as one of the venues for a Miss Universe activity is still very good international exposure.
“People outside of the Philippines will discover where to go here, especially in Cebu,” he said.
The city, which was named after the country’s first hero Lapu-Lapu, showcased its rich history when the candidates were toured around Mactan Shrine on Tuesday afternoon.
Later, the beauty queens also visited downtown Cebu City to see Magellan’s Cross and the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño.
Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza, in a separate interview, said “everything is prepared” and that everybody is excited about hosting the competition here.
The city’s role is to provide logistical support to pageant organizers as well as security augmentation from barangays, if needed.
Radaza anchored her confidence in previous experiences hosting other international events.
She said they are now only doing minor improvements on roads leading to the event venue which she hopes would be finished before the end of 2016.