CeBu CeBoom CeBlog

Cebu is ready to become a destination for culinary tourism in the country, a local tour operator official said Tuesday.

“But we will need somebody or an organization to put all components together and use interesting elements for each cuisine. How will it differ from other cuisines?” said Alice Queblatin, immediate past president of Cebu Association of Tour Operators (CATO).

This statement came after Tourism Secretary Joseph “Ace” Durano said they are moving toward promoting culinary tourism in the Philippines. Inquirer.net

A LITTLE bird did it. Or several kinds of birds and one whose popularity has grown so that it’s got a mascot and a festival in its honor.

The Black Shama and about 20 other bird species, including the elusive Cebu Flowerpecker, placed the Nug-as Forest in the southern town of Alcoy in the guidebook, “Birdwatching in the Philippines” (Volume 1), published by the Department of Tourism and the Recreational Outdooor Exchange.

Released last month, the book lists different places in the country where various bird species—some rare, endangered or threatened endemic species as well as migratory species—can be found. SunStar Cebu

Cebu will play host to the 6th International Tourism Forum for Parliamentarians and Local Authorities at the Shangri-La Mactan Island Resort on October 22 to 25.

The Executive Council of the United Nations World Tourism Organization has accepted the invitation of the Department of Tourism to hold its 82nd session here in Cebu.

The event will be attended primarily by members of parliament responsible for tourism policy making at the national and local levels, Tourism Ministers, Governors and Mayors of high-urbanized or independent cities. The Freeman

Boholano tuberculosis (TB) patients whose ailments have developed multiple-drug resistance (MDR), need not go to Manila for treatment, a newly established treatment center is now in the Visayas.

A “MDR-TB Treatment Center of the South” is now at the Eversley Compound in Cebu.

The center can now handle patients whose TB can not be treated by two of the most potent anti-TB drugs in health centers, says Dr. Ma Emilda D. Quelapio, Program Manager of the country’s Programmatic Management fop Drug-resistant Tuberculosis (PMDT). PIA

The positioning of Cebu as Asia’s prime destination for green jewelry could be the ticket for the local fashion accessories sector to withstand the repercussions brought about by a possible collapse of the US financial system.

This positioning, according to officials of Cebu Furniture Accessories Manufacturers and Exporters (Fame) Foundation, can help uplift the industry, which has been experiencing a slowdown in the past three years.

Fame president Janet Chua, also of Cyprea International Inc., earlier said the sector experienced a setback in 2006 due to “overstocked purchases” from foreign clients. GMANews.tv

Aside from the health and wellness component, which is expected to draw more Japanese tourists to Cebu once again, the Department of Tourism (DOT) gears up to position Cebu as a primary “Wedding Destination”.

DOT secretary Joseph Ace Durano announced that while his department is pushing the Philippines as premier “Wedding Destination” in Asia, Cebu has been made the center of this campaign. More…

The Aldeguer Group launched at the weekend island-hopping services that seek to promote Islands as a major tourism brand and promote adventure tourism in Cebu.

With three company-owned motorized outrigger boats and seven other outsourced boats, the Islands Banca Cruises Corp. can bring tourists and diving enthusiasts to as far as Apo Island in the south and Bantayan Island in the north.

Jay P. Aldeguer, Islands president and chief executive officer, said two more boats that are being built would be completed next month. They hope to have at least 15 company-owned and outsourced Islands boats by summer next year. GMANews.tv

PROPERTY developer J. King and Sons Co. Inc. (JKSCI) will launch in November a mini amusement complex on top of a hotel tower on Osmeña Blvd., Cebu City.

The amusement facility—which will feature a roller coaster that will run around the edge of the building, an Insanity ride and a Sky Walk—will be situated on the top floors of the 40-story Crown Regency Hotel and Towers, one of the high-rise buildings at the Fuente Towers Complex.

The roller coaster, known as the Edge Coaster, is the first of its kind in the world to be mounted on top of a hotel tower, said Janos Lakatos, vice president for manufacturing of the US-based Interactive Rides Inc. More…

PLANNING on scuba diving? The San Remigio Beach Club recently opened the doors of their Marine Dive Center.

San Remigio boasts of Cebu’s longest shore line so one can expect large coral heads which form the habitat for thousands of beautiful fish. Its underwater terrain holds six caves, a four-kilometer reef that has a wall with a 40 to 60 meter drop.

Larger organisms can also be found on these reefs, feeding on the smaller fish. More…

A CEBU-based Jetski enthusiast expanded the list of activities that locals and foreign tourists can do in Cebu by launching last Thursday a service that will allow customers to see different islands around Cebu on board a jetski or speedboat.

Jetscape Adventures Inc. will start offering the service, called jetski touring, on Monday.

Jetscape general manager Alex Roa said there are only two other countries in Asia-Thailand and Indonesia-that offer a similar service and theirs cater mostly to foreigners. SunStar.com

Tourism officers from some 30 cities and municipalities in Cebu Province have organized themselves into a group called Cebu Tourism Officers Association (CTOA), which will represent Cebu in the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines (ATOP).

The creation of the group can help boost tourism in the province in terms of visitor arrivals and sales generated from tourist-related activities, said Daanbantayan tourism officer Gregg Rubio who is also president of CTOA. More…

Cebu will soon have an additional of 160,000 square meters of office spaces to accommodate the growing number Offshoring and Outsourcing (O&O) companies that are now eyeing Cebu as a preferred location.

In the latest study conducted by Colliers International, a property management and consultancy firm, it showed that Cebu will supply 160-square-meter more of office spaces, especially those new buildings that are designed for O&O sector.

In an interview with Colliers investment sales director Ieyo de Guzman, she said that big Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) or O&O companies now are looking at Cebu, as the primary choice of location, aside from Manila, owing to the conducive business environment of Cebu, as well as the thick pool of manpower supply. More…