| CDN file photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The tourism arm of the Cebu City government is seeking a budget of P35 million for next year as it plans to ramp up tourism-related projects and promotions.
The city’s Public Information Office (PIO) said that during the recent round of budget hearing, the Cebu City Tourism Office asked the council to approve its proposal to allocate P34.9 million in public funds as their 2023 budget.
The City Tourism Officer, Neil Odchigue, led the hearing and presented some of the plans they had in store.
Odchique told the council that they wanted a higher budget next year as they anticipated more travelers visiting the city and more tourism activities reopening.
This year, the city’s tourism office has P16.8 million as its budget.
He also said they would want to promote the city’s tourism offerings before the international arena.
Cebu City’s top tourism official also revealed that part of their budget proposal would be marketing and advertising initiatives, at approximately P4.9 million.
“Part of our endeavor in tourism is to market Cebu City, not only to the Philippines but to the rest of the world,” Odchigue was quoted as saying.
The tourism office is planning to publish ads featuring the city’s tourism aspect on various placements. These include electronic billboards in key areas overseas like Times Square in New York.
The department also said they would want to place advertisements on double-decker buses in London, citing as example what the local government unit of Camiguin did.
Cebu City is asking for a total of P50 billion as its budget for 2023. If approved, it would be the largest allocation made in Cebu City’s history.
RELATED STORIES
Tax revisions pushed to fund Cebu City’s P50B budget in 2023
Cebu City Council approves P1.2 billion Supplemental Budget no. 3
DOT outlines efforts to revive tourism industry
/dbs