Chinese tourists are the second top visitors to Cebu for 2018. |Cebu Daily News file photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Stakeholders in Cebu are expecting more foreign tourists, particularly those from China and Japan, in the coming weeks.
Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia recently met with consul generals of China and Japan for Cebu at the Capitol last June 13, 2022.
Consul Generals Jia Li of China and Hideki Yamaji of Japan, in separate meetings with Garcia, told the province that they have been encouraging their locals to visit the Philippines due to its relaxed policies toward fully vaccinated tourists, according to a report from Sugbo News, the Capitol’s media arm.
The top officials also commended the Capitol for coming up with guidelines that allow fully vaccinated tourists to enter the country via Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) without presenting RT-PCR tests, the Sugbo News report added.
“They can come because of the very relaxed policy from the Philippine government. Now, Japanese visitors no longer take the PCR test before coming here. It’s a very good accelerator for the Japanese tourists to come here,” said Yamaji.
Aside from tourists, Chinese and Japanese businessmen are also looking to invest in infrastructure, transportation, and solar-powered energy projects here in Cebu.
Since the national government reallowed the entry of foreign tourists last February, provided that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the tourism sector in Cebu has been bullish in recovering to pre-pandemic levels.
Hotels and resorts here have reported an improvement in occupancy levels and the country’s biggest airline companies are expected to mount more international flights.
This July, direct flights between Cebu and Japan, and Cebu and South Korea, are expected to resume.
/bmjo
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