Capitol encourages cultural, heritage tours for the Holy Week

Boljoon church.
CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON

Beyond Cebu’s beach offerings

Cultural and heritage tours are set to be enhanced and improved to capture more tourists on vacation like during the Holy Week.

But for now, beaches remain to be Cebu’s main come-on for tourists this coming Holy week, said Cebu Provincial Tourism Officer Joselito “Boboi” Costas.

“Well, we still expect people to troop to beaches (this Holy Week),” he said.

Among the top beach destinations in Cebu are Bantayan Island, Malapascua Island and the Camotes Islands in the north.

In the south, beaches are located in Moalboal, Badian and Oslob.

“For a bit of a new experience, our office has developed the five community-based destinations in Aloguinsan, Argao, Alcoy, Alegria and Boljoon. The local hosts at these destinations are ready to receive guests,” Costas said.

Dubbed as the “Big 5” destinations, these include the Bojo River Cruise in Aloguinsan, the Culinary Journey in Argao, the Birding Tour and Nature Trek in Alcoy, the Farm to Table Tour in Alegria, and Heritage Walk in Boljoon.

Department of Tourism (DOT) 7 Regional Director Shalimar Tamano agreed on the attractiveness of Cebu’s beaches to tourists.

But he said cultural destinations are also attracting more and more tourists, especially the Koreans and Chinese who have been topping the number of tourists arrivals in Central Visayas.

Tamano said he toured the tourist spots in the south just last Monday and found that the tourists did not only enjoy the beaches but also wanted to experience the culture of Cebu.

“After they swim, they also look for something cultural. Cebu has a lot of very nice and old churches which these tourists don’t have and see in their home countries,” he said.

Faith tourism

This is also why the DOT is pushing for Faith Tourism in Cebu.

In fact, churches and other heritage sites are expected to take center stage in the coming months and years leading to 2021, which marks the 500th anniversary since the first circumnavigation of Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan.

This also led to the birth of Christianity in Cebu and the Philippines.

“Our plan is to prepare for the Quincentenary of Magellan’s coming and the Cebuano conversion to Catholicism. That’s three years from now,” said Costas.

“We intend to develop tours that showcase Cebu’s rich Catholic heritage and celebrate the stories of our faith and religious traditions,” he added.

In order to do this, Costas said they are closely coordinating with different stakeholders especially the Church and local communities where heritage structures are located.

Apart from churches, these structures also include forts, watchtowers, and blockhouses among others.

According to Costas, Cebu is expected to be at the center of the celebration in Southeast Asia for the 500th anniversary of Magellan’s exploration.

He said organizers of the global activity have earlier visited and met with Capitol officials to discuss the upcoming event.

Costas said they will be focusing on involving communities within these heritage spots leading up to the event wherein an influx of tourists are seen into Cebu from mostly European countries and other Catholic countries all over the world.

“Religious buffs,” regardless of religion, are also expected to fly to Cebu for the different activities to be put in place in time for the celebration.

Airport security

Meanwhile, the Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) has been placed on heightened alert status starting on March 26 until April 3, with the expected arrival of tourists in Cebu for the Holy Week.

“All security and safety units are placed on a heightened alert status for a sufficient 24/7 manning of security and safety services and to guarantee an immediate response for any untoward incident within the airport during the Holy Week,” said MCIAA General Manager and CEO Steve Dicdican in an advisory.

Under the Oplan Biyaheng Ayos: Kuwaresma 2018, passenger help desks have been set up in prominent areas within the airport to provide immediate assistance to passengers.

Information banners have also been put in place while paged reminders are constantly being announced to remind passengers to be vigilant and to be mindful of their bags and personal belongings.

The MCIAA is also ready to field buses or coasters to serve the riding public in case there is a shortage of airport taxi and vehicle rental services.