T2 will make tourism the ‘in thing’ in Cebu

The new airport Terminal 2 (T2) is ready for the start of its commercial operations on July 1.

Tourism leaders eagerly await T2 opening; free guided tours at terminal offered

Tourism will be the “in thing” in the next two years in Cebu.

Hotel, Resort, Restaurant Association of Cebu (HRRAC) President Carlo Anton Suarez said this amid the excitement and optimism of the scheduled opening next month of the new Mactan Cebu International Airport’s new Terminal 2 (T2).

T2 will increase the MCIA’s capacity to 12.5 million passengers a year.

Suarez said in a phone interview on Tuesday that that all those in the tourism industry would benefit from the new terminal.

“With this new terminal, tourism will be the ‘in thing,” not just this year, but in two to three years. We are expecting more direct flights, international and local chains
coming in,” he said.

Department of Tourism (DOT) 7 Regional Director Shalimar Tamano earlier said though that they were concerned about the number of hotel rooms available in Cebu to cater to the expected influx of tourists.

But Suarez said they were not worried about this as they were expecting more rooms to be opened in the coming months.

Among these hotels is the Seda Ayala Center Cebu which is scheduled to open in the third quarter of 2018.

The hotel, which used to be operated by Marriott, will have 301 rooms.

Guided tours

Meanwhile, Cebuanos are given a chance to explore and appreciate the new terminal even without having to book an international flight.

This developed as the GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp. (GMCAC), the private operator of the airport terminal, has opened the P17.5 billion facility to the public
today (June27) and tomorrow (June28).

There will be guided tours for those interested to explore and appreciate the new terminal.

According to the GMCAC, those interested to take the guided tour can pre-register online through the Facebook Page of Mactan Cebu Airport.

“We want to give an opportunity to Cebuanos to see their airport since not everyone can take international flights,” said Avigael Maningo, of GMCAC’s corporate affairs and branding department during a tour for the media yesterday morning.

The tour is every hour starting 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.

In each hour, the GMCAC can accommodate up to 500 people.

Maningo reminded those interested to join the public viewing to bring with them a valid ID and a screenshot of their confirmation in the pre-registration. Minors should also be accompanied by an adult.

By June 30, there will be a Holy Mass and blessing of the new terminal before its opening the next day, July 1, for commercial operations.

International flights coming from Cebu as early as 1 a.m. on July 1 will already be in the new terminal.

Features

During yesterday’s media tour, workers and personnel were still very busy doing finishing touches inside the new terminal.

Some areas still had to be polished and some tenants and sellers are yet to set up in their assigned areas, although most of the systems were already in place.

But Maningo assured that everything will be ready by June 30.

The new terminal has four check-in halls with 12 check-in counters each, or a total of 48 check-in counters. Each counter features locally made rattan that is backlit with different colors to match certain occasions.

Checked-in baggage will go through an inline baggage handling system where it goes through four levels of security check. If a baggage is cleared on the first level, it is immediately loaded to its assigned aircraft.

If there are problems, like prohibited items found in the baggage during the first level, it will go through the other levels of security.

And after the fourth security check, that’s when the owner will be called in to open their baggage for inspection.

Passengers will then go through immigration and the final security check for their hand-carried baggage.

Hand-carried baggage will go through an automatic tray return system, a first in the country, which will automatically return empty trays for passengers to put their bags, taking away the hassle of looking for one.

After the final security check, passengers will pass by a “walkthrough” Duty Free shop where they can see and buy international brands. The Duty Free shop also features a Momento Store wherein local Cebuano products and delicacies can be bought by passengers.

Several restaurants and amenities are also available before passengers go to one of the 22 boarding gates of the terminal.

These brands include Ritazza, Bonchon Chicken, Cabin Bar, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, and Burger King, among
others.

The terminal also has a spa, a prayer room, and lounges by some airlines.