Cebu City eyes 80% of hotel bookings for Sinulog 2024

Uptown Cebu City skyline where some high-end hotels are found | CDN FILE PHOTO

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera on Wednesday, November 29, 2023, said that the city is looking to reach 80-percent of bookings in hotels in Cebu City for the Sinulog 2024.

It can be recalled that last November 21, Pesquera mentioned in a forum that the hotels in the city were already at 80-percent booked for the Sinulog Festival, and the hotel in the South Road Properties (SRP) received most of the bookings but she did not specify the number.

But according to Alfred Reyes, president of the Hotel, Resort and Restaurant Association of Cebu, Inc. (HRRACI) that as of November 2023, it was still early to determine the percentage of bookings for Sinulog next year.

READ: No hotel bookings yet for January 2024, says HRRACI president

On Wednesday, when Pesquera was asked by reporters on her basis for the data she shared last November 21, she answered that she was referring to the reservations done by bookers.

She also did not specify the particular hotels that had the most number of reservations.

“Yes, [we are expecting the possibility of 80-percent] of course kay on our part, we are also really promoting the Sinulog,” she said.

Not dismissing her statement on November 21, Pesquera added that the city is expecting more tourists to come over, especially that they will be also inviting Cebu City’s ‘sister cities’ here.

“Mayor [Michael] Rama is also inviting other mayors, members of the league of cities, so that they can join the Sinulog next year,” Pesquera said.

Sister cities

Meanwhile, for the sister cities, Pesquera said that as of Wednesday, they still have not received confirmation of their participation.

Among the sister cities they invited were the City of Vladivostok in Russia and Xiamen in China.

Besides the cities in Russia and China, according to the city’s public information office (PIO) Cebu City has active relations with Yeosu City in South Korea, Kaohsiung City in Taiwan, and Haarlemmermeer in the Netherlands.

Pesquera added that the preparation for the New Year’s countdown, which will also kick-off the celebration for Sinulog 2024, is underway.

Local and national artists will be invited to perform and entertain the crowd.

She said that they are still firming up the activities they prepared for the Sinulog 2024, but the usual events will still be present like Miss Cebu, Sinulog Run, the night activities at the Fuente Osmeña, and Balik-Cebu.

/bmjo