Cebu hotels upbeat on better outlook 

Skyline of Cebu City’s uptown area | CDN Digital Photo by Morexette Marie Erram

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Hotels and resorts in Cebu are now upbeat on their journey to full recovery, two years since the COVID-19 pandemic battered their industry. 

The Hotels Resorts and Restaurant Association in Cebu Inc. (HRRACI) has recently reported that they are seeing an increase in occupancy levels. 

Alfred Reyes, HRRACI president and general manager of bai Hotel, said on average, occupancy rates in hotels, resorts, and other similar establishments in Metro Cebu would play between 30 to 40 percent. 

“We are now in between 30 to 40 percent occupancy… More or less, it’s getting better,” said Reyes in a recent virtual press interview. 

With roughly 100 members, HRRACI is one of the largest business-oriented groups in Cebu. 

HRRACI attributed the improvement of hotel occupancy levels to the rise of domestic travelers and the ramping up of domestic flights nationwide. 

“We have already opened domestic travels… Right now, if you’re looking at the airport, most domestic flights land full (of passengers). And most domestic flights are increasing,” Reyes explained. 

Aside from domestic tourists, HRRACI also expressed optimism about the return of foreign arrivals after the national government decided to reopen the country to foreign tourists since February and the full reopening of leisure activities. 

“Mostly, travelers coming to Cebu are business travelers. Wala pa kaayo ang (There are not much) leisure now. Now, this April 1, we will be opening to all markets. Hopefully, we will be able to get the international market,” Reyes continued. 

Last February, the Philippines welcomed back foreign tourists for a quarantine-free stay, on the condition that they are fully vaccinated.

Unvaccinated foreign travelers, on the other hand, must comply with the mandatory 10-day quarantine, and several rounds of swab tests before they can wander around the country. 

Latest statistics from the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) showed that country’s second-busiest gateway has already accommodated a total of 354,420 passengers as of February 28. 

Of this number, 34,362 happened to be foreign passengers while the rest are domestic travelers. 

For the month of February, Cebu welcomed 21,415 foreign passengers. It was a 65 percent increase compared to the 12,947 recorded in January.

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