The beaches and resorts, restaurants and malls and of course the people are among the factors that clinched Cebu’s 2nd spot in the Conde Nast’s best islands in the world readers survey.
CDN FILE PHOTO
How to take advantage of Condé Nast’s Cebu as 2nd best island in the world recognition
With Cebu being named as the second best island in the world by readers of a New York based travel magazine, Cebuanos, especially those in the tourism industry are encouraged to innovate and create more tourism destinations, which are unique and meaningful.
Joselito “Boboi” Costas, Cebu provincial tourism officer, made this call when sought for comment on Cebu’s latest recognition.
Cebu was named second best island in the world by readers of New York-based Condé Nast Traveler (CNT) in the publication’s 2017 Readers’ Choice Awards survey, up from fifth place in the same list in 2016.
Significance
Costas also cited the significance of the recognition despite Cebu and the local tourism industry suffering major setbacks earlier this year, following the travel advisories issued by several countries and terror threats in the nearby island province of Bohol.
“We might have suffered setbacks in the first quarter this year with the attacks and the travel advisories, but I think it only created a dent in the total tourist arrivals,” he said.
CNT readers were asked to rank the 30 best islands outside the US, resulting to a catalog of sought-after destinations, ranging from far-flung gems in Southeast Asia to volcanic outcrops in the Mediterranean.
“The most densely populated island in the Philippines, Cebu is famous for its beaches on the mainland as well as across many of the surrounding islands. Not as wild as Phuket in Thailand, Cebu City is more personal, with plenty of up-and-coming restaurants and shopping,” CNT said in its description of Cebu.
Boracay and Palawan clinched the first and third spots, respectively.
Tourism trend
Costas also cited the latest trend in tourism and how Cebu could get there.
“The trend in tourism is towards conscientious, responsible travel, which acknowledges anything local. Cebu is working on that direction. We only need to put more quality in our infrastructure, customer service, and our activities,” he said.
Cebu has moved up 17 spots since 2015, ranking 19th in the same list two years ago.
Accessibility
Costas said more foreign travelers are discovering Cebu because of its accessibility.
“In the last two years, we’ve seen how Cebu was connected to the US with Philippine Airlines flying direct to Cebu from Los Angeles or from New York to Manila and from Manila onward to destinations such as Boracay and Palawan which also made it to this year’s list,” he said.
Memorable experience
He added that people are now more discerning in their travels, looking for what is unique and a memorable experience for them.
Costas said Cebu can offer that — an island with varied tourism activities ranging from the unique, such as astounding dive sites, to the surprising, such as Camotes Island; English-speaking locals, and the Cebuano attitude toward tourists.
Edwin Ortiz, Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) director, said what could have contributed to this improvement in rankings were Cebu’s natural white sand beaches, great resort and hotel accommodations, various aqua sports activities, array of restaurants offering different kinds of food, and the warmth of the Cebuanos.
He added that the much-improved Mactan-Cebu International Airport may have created a good first impression to travelers.
While he acknowledged that Cebu made a huge climb in the rankings from 2015 to 2017, Ortiz pointed out that the island province may have reached its peak already.
“It is difficult to beat Boracay with its sugar-like beaches, amazing sunset, and 24/7 amenities. However, there is no way but up for Cebu,” he said.
Work together
But Edilberto Mendoza, past president of the Cebu Association of Tour Operations Specialists (Catos), believes Cebu has the potential to surpass Boracay if private tourism players and the government sector continue working together.
He said there is a need to improve existing tourist spots, maintain peace and order as well as attract more investors to put up hotels and resorts to increase the province’s accommodation capacity.
Mendoza said the jump in Cebu’s ranking on the list from 5th to 2nd did not come as a surprise to him.
“Stakeholders have been working double time to promote Cebu to the rest of the world amidst the challenges we have encountered for the past year,” he said.