Capitol urges Cebuanos: ‘Visit Cebu tourism sites’

Oslob is one of the prime tourism destinations in Cebu because of its whale shark watching activities. |CDN file photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu Provincial Capitol is encouraging Cebuanos to travel and visit tourism destinations in Cebu as a means of uplifting the province’s tourism industry amid the threats of the Coronavirus Disease (Covid-19).

Board Member Andrei Duterte, chairman on the Committee on Tourism, said the local tourism has been badly affected due to the losses incurred from the drop in the tourist arrivals in the province.

“Local tourism is damaged by the [Covid-19] outbreak, causing major losses to tourism stakeholders in the province, and more importantly, threatening job security and livelihood to small and medium -scale businesses whose income in dependent on tourist arrivals,” Duterte said.

The Cebu provincial government has announced last week that they will launch the “Suroy-Suroy alang sa Sugbo,”  a multi-stakeholder tourism campaign aimed to cushion the impact of the COVID-19 threat.

Suroy Suroy alang sa Sugbo will be launched on Friday, March 20, 2020.

Read: Dole encourages flexi work as businesses suffer from COVID-19

In a news release issued by the Cebu Provincial Information Office (PIO), Suroy Suroy alang sa Sugbo is a take-off concept of the provincial tourism program Suroy Suroy Sugbo.

“However, in this campaign, the centerpiece will be Cebu’s high-end hotels and resorts, malls, theme parks, food and manufacturing industries, among others, with Cebuanos coming from the 44 towns and seven component cities of Cebu province as target market,” the news release reads.

Read: Employment lay off possible as tourism industry in Cebu suffers due to coronavirus scare

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) recently issued a labor advisory encouraging  businesses to implement flexible work schedules, rather than to lay off employees, as they battle the economic effects of Covid-19. /bmjo