At present, “Travel and Beyond” showcases Caraga Region’s travel products, hotel and airline offers, festivals, events, destinations and theme parks. More…

The one-hour activity this March 28 has gained wider support from local government units, business establishments, residents of exclusive subdivisions and the police force this year.

Earth Hour is the global environmental advocacy to switch off lights for one hour on the last Saturday of March. This event started in Sydney, Australia two years ago. Continue…

Now on its 5th year, this event is fully supported by the Department of Tourism, Province of Cebu, and the City of Cebu.

Catch over 100 exhibitors representing exciting products and services from around the world, plus, avail oneself of 50 percent discount on on-site purchases, win free accommodation and tickets in the raffle draws, and avail oneself of special discounts on local and international packages. Read more…

See more photos on Cebu Pictures Gallery

With the theme, “One People, One Destiny”, ONE Visayas was officially open yesterday at the Cebu International Convention Center also the venue of the 12th ASEAN Summit held last 2006. The opening ceremonies started with a Holy Mass at 9:00 in the morning followed by the offering of symbols represented by three regions as well as the unveiling of different exhibits all over the CICC. Senator Mar Roxas was the guest speaker of the said event.

DOT Secretary Ace Durano, DOT 7- Director Dawnie Roa, Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia and Hon. Mayor Jonas Cortes and leaders from 16 Visayas provinces(Aklan, Biliran, Guimaras, Southern Leyte, Negros Occidental, Negros Orriental, Antique, Cebu, Samar, Eastern Samar, Northen Samar, Siquijor, Leyte, Bohol, Iloilo and Capiz) unite at the Cebu International Convention Center to promote tourism products, arts and crafts, delicacies and specialties and cultural presentation of their respective town and provinces.

In the afternoon, 12 contigents from different regions showcased the street dancing and followed by “pasigarbo”/”pasundayag” , cultural show in the evening at the ground of CICC.

This 8-day event will highlight Visayas’ seven arts namely, architecture, dance, theater, music, visual arts, literature and film, arts and craft, tourism products, festivals and culinary arts. The following schedule are as follows:

Each festival day will highlight one form of art in the Visayas. Theater Arts will be featured on March 2 and to be showcased are “Komedya”, kasanag batok sa sugal of Antique; “Dagohoy, the Musical” of Bohol; and “Inodoro,” musical production on waste management of Calbayog City.

For March 3, Literature, Theater and Dance will be highlighted. To be presented are “West Visayan Maritime Traditions” lecture by Dr. Alicia Magos of Antique; “Mystical Siquijor” lecture on healing arts by Dr. Virgie Miquialba; “Calbayog Lakub” pasundayag san local nga arte, kutura ug bahandi for Samar province; and Dance Concert, Leyte Kalipayan Dance Company of Tacloban City, Leyte.

Dance will be featured on March 4 and the presentations will include Folk Arts Dance Concert of Capiz; “Poseidon” by Teatro Amorseko of Negros Occidental; and Balangiga Encounter 1901of Eastern Samar.

Music will be the tune of the day on March 5 with the “Tunog Karay-a” and “OKM Concert” of Antique; Sopranos of Capiz; and a lecture on “Cebuano Languages as Heritage” by Dr. Erlinda Alburo. This will be followed by a book launch: “A Dictionary of Bisayan Arts, Cebuano, Hiligaynon and Waray,” with the author, Dr. Alburo.

In the evening of March 5, the “Pasundayag, Kulturang Southern Leyte” will be presented with the music of Mike Hanopol.

March 6 will feature Architecture and Fine Arts and showcased will be the “Heritage Sites and Structures of Cebu” lecture by Arc. Melva Java; “Marketing for Artists” lecture by Dr. Ed Hallar; buyers night and cocktails.

March 7 will feature Visual Arts and other forms of arts while March 8 will feature the closing ceremonies.

Visit ONE Visayas, ONE People, ONE Destiny” starting March 1-8 at the CICC and tell us your experience! Mabuhi and taga Visayas!

Source: Manila Bulletin
Photo by: CeBu CeBoom CeBlog

It’s still February and everyone is excited to plan their vacation as early as today! If you don’t have plan yet , here’s my top 5 suggested places to visit and activities to do at affordable and enjoyable summer!

1. Visit Lapu-Lapu shrine… then go and look at the Magellan’s cross
2. If you’re a historian, visit the Casa Gorordo Museum and Fort San Pedro.
3. Try Islands Banca Cruises with your groups at affordable prices! Swim or snorkel in crystal waters. Dive amidst amazing corals and sea life. Watch birds and dolphins. Feed fish. Surf. Kayak. Scuba dive in Mactan channel and swim across to Olango Island.
4. Climb Osmeña’s peak in Mantalungon, south of Cebu. Northwest from the summit, you can view the Badian shorelines and the Badian Island. Northwest, the beaches of Moalboal: Panagsama whitesand shorelines, connects Badian. Southeast from the summit, you can see the remaining vegetable farms of Mantalungon.
5. Spend a night at the Mountain View or tops.

Just a quick note, make sure you bring your entire friends and family to enjoy this summer. Just drop us a note if where would you love to go this summer in the beautiful island of Cebu and we’re happy to give you more info on it.

Contrary to the anticipated slowdown in the tourism
industry brought about by the global economic crisis, more tourists are
expected to come to this year’s Sinulog compared to the previous years.

Representatives from different travel agencies and officials of
travel organizations attested that this year, throngs of international
and domestic tourists will still come for the celebration of the
Sinulog Mardi Gras.

National Association of Independent Travel Agencies (NAITAS)-Cebu
Chapter Chairman and Travelvision managing director Jenny Franco said
that Sinulog is always an anticipated event especially by Filipino
balikbayans from different parts of the world. More…

In this day, as prices of commodities goes high, expenses here and there, people struggles everyday to meet their needs, a simple thing such as going out with their family to have some quality time seems could be impossible and it�s a luxury for some already. It is quiet lucky for other people to treat their families in a descent restaurant but for the ordinary, spending their P500 in a fast food chain restaurant is already an indulgence.

But thanks to those who invented the concept of parks, where all one needs is the company of a loved one, and perhaps a bite or two to eat and something to drink. Parks aren�t just for lovers though. It�s a very suitable venue for people of all ages: children and their parents, the young, and the young at heart. More…

Another famous park here in the province Cebu is under the Marcelo Fernan bridge or commonly called by the locals as the �new bridge�. The park is open to the public 24/7 and people strolling or dating with their loved ones don�t really need to spend anything.

I had this chance to visit one day at the park and people are not just dating, eating, playing, hugging but also SWIMMING? (Please look closely at the pic) Yes,you read it right. I don�t know how safe it is there to swim but people in the neighborhood are fond of swimming under the bridge. It�s funny also when a passenger boat or a ferry passes under the bridge as there this big wave of the sea that would excite the swimmers.

At least its free and its less expensive than malling or bar hopping. Not just that, its more relaxing in atmosphere than those people prefer to hangout with their friends in bars or malls.

Even tourists and passengers from a ferry boat that would cross under the Marcelo Fernan Bridgewould not pass to take a pose on it

It may be simple but this is some of the best things in life that we could enjoy�are free!

Lapu-Lapu City is celebrating its annual fiesta and thousands of devotees of the Virgin of the Rule(Birhen de Regla) from all over the Visayas are expected to flock tomorrow.

It has been said and believed by the devotees that they have spoken of the miraculous cures while the town itself was spared from a number of calamities through the intercession of the saint.

Today, Lapu-Lapu City is one of the major key cities that help boost the economy of the province of Cebu and in the Philippines as well.

According to Wiki, Liloan’s Parola(lighthouse) is one of the best known landmarks in Lilo-an located at Bagacay Point. The original lighthouse was built in 1857 by the Spanish. However, the current tower was constructed in 1904 by order of William Howard Taft, the first Governor-General of the Philippines and later the President of the United States. The tower is 72 feet tall and remains in active use today.

Since everyone of us were first timers, we lost our way getting to the lighthouse. When we reached at the corner of municipal plaza, we asked one lady and she told us to go straight right after the bridge. We did so. We’re almost 10 minutes travelling far from the corner of the plaza and we haven’t found yet the landmark. We went back and ask another guy and this time he guided us going there. Thanks to this man as without him we might going to nowhere.

Well take note, the lady who instructed us how to get there was right but she also forgot to tell us that we will take a left turn when we reached or have seen the Amara signage perhaps 1 or 2 minutes away right after the bridge(there’s only 1 bridge). Amara is a private village near the lighthouse. You don’t need to get inside the village because the lighthouse is far straight at Amara’s entrance.

I didn’t noticed that the rain already stopped and the sun came out. It’s a breath taking experience also when it’s your first time, right? I really wanted to capture the lighthouse with drops of rain or that leaves of the trees falling from strong winds. I was assuming then it would give me a nice effect. But i think, my expectations were not meant to be and we ended taking photos of ourselves and the 72-feet tower. Upon reaching the landmark, we saw a group of photographers, lovers, friends and families having their picnic. Dusk is coming and it’s time to go home.

January 9, 2009 (Friday) - Sinulog 2009 Kick off / Launching
(Sinulog Through the Years photo exhibit at Ayala Center Cebu, SM City
Cebu and the Mactan-Cebu International Airport)
2:00 PM - Solemn Mass (Basilica del Sto. Ni�o)
3:00 PM - Launching Parade (from the Basilica del Sto. Ni�o to the Cebu City Sports Center)
7:00 PM - Opening and Launching Program featuring the Mandaue City
Children�s Choir, Dancesports Team Cebu, and Dance Troupes from
participating schools and universities in Cebu (Fuente Osme�a)

January 10, 2009 (Saturday) - Sinulog sa Kabataan - Lalawigan
1:00 PM - Parade of Participants (from the Cebu Provincial Capitol to the Cebu City Sports Center)
2:00 PM - Event Proper: Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Lalawigan (Cebu City Sports Center)
4:30 PM - Awarding of Winners (Cebu City Sports Center)
7:00 PM - Cultural Show by the Department of Education, Cebu Province (Fuente Osme�a)
9:30 PM - Concert by Street Party Bands (Fuente Osme�a)

January 11, 2009 (Sunday) - Sinulog sa Kabataan - Dakbayan
1:00 PM - Parade of Participants (from the Plaza Independencia to the Cebu City Sports Center)
2:00 PM - Event Proper: Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Dakbayan (Cebu City Sports Center)
4:30 PM - Awarding of Winners (Cebu City Sports Center)
7:00 PM - Cultural Show (Fuente Osme�a)
9:30 PM - Concert by Street Party Bands (Fuente Osme�a)

January 12, 2009 (Monday)
7:30 PM - Cultural Show (Fuente Osme�a)
9:30 PM - Concert by Street Party Bands (Fuente Osme�a)

January 13, 2009 (Tuesday)
7:30 PM - Cultural Show (Fuente Osme�a)
9:30 PM - Concert by Street Party Bands (Fuente Osme�a)

January 14, 2009 (Wednesday)
9:00 AM - Airport Welcome for Balikbayan Flights (Mactan-Cebu International Airport)
7:30 PM - Cultural Shows (Fuente Osme�a)
9:30 PM - Concert by Street Party Bands (Fuente Osme�a)

January 15, 2009 (Thursday)
9:00 AM - Airport Welcome for Balikbayan Flights (Mactan-Cebu International Airport)
7:00 PM - Miss Cebu Coronation Night (Cebu City Waterfront Hotel and Casino)
7:30 PM - Cultural Shows (Fuente Osme�a)
9:00 PM - Concert by Street Party Bands (Fuente Osme�a)

January 16, 2009 (Friday) - Visual Merchandising Contest (Department Stores and Malls in Cebu)
7:30 PM - Cultural Shows by the Department of Education, Cebu City (Fuente Osme�a)
7:30 PM - Handumanan �The Concert� (SM City Cebu)
8:00 PM - Balik Cebu Welcome Party for Balikbayans and Guests (Ayala Center Cebu)
9:00 PM - Concert by Street Party Bands (Fuente Osme�a)

January 17, 2009 (Saturday)
6:00 AM - Fluvial Procession of the Miraculous Image of Sto. Ni�o
together with Our Lady of Guadalupe (Mactan Channel; starting point:
Ouano Wharf, Mandaue City)
9:00 AM - Re-enactment of the Baptism of Queen Juana and Rajah Humabon (Basilica del Sto. Ni�o)
2:00 PM - Solemn Procession of the Miraculous Image of Sto. Ni�o)
6:30 PM - Sinulog Festival Queen 2009 (Cebu City Sports Center)
7:00 PM - Street Party (Fuente Osme�a and Plaza Independencia)
8:00 PM - Kasadya Nite Mardi Gras (Ayala Center Cebu hallways; culmination at the South Surface Parking Area)

January 18, 2009 (Sunday) - Sinulog 2009 Grand Parade
9:00 AM - Sinulog 2009 Grand Parade Carousel Kick Off
7:00 PM - Grand Fireworks Display (Cebu City Sports Center and Plaza Independencia)
7:30 PM - Concert by Street Party Bands (Fuente Osme�a)
8:00 PM - Grand Fireworks Display sponsored by the Mitsumi Group of Companies (Ayala Football Grounds)

January 19, 2009 (Monday)
1:00 PM - Awarding Ceremonies (Cebu City Sports Center)

January 31, 2009 (Saturday)
1:00 PM - Awarding Ceremonies for the winners of the Sinulog 2009 Photo Contest and Sinulog 2009 Video Documentary Contest

February 1-10, 2009 (Sunday to Tuesday)
Photo Exhibits: �The Winning Photos taken during Sinulog 2009? (SM City Cebu)

Cond� Nast Traveler, a magazine published in New York, USA has just released the results of its 21st Annual Readers� Choice Awards 2008, listing Plantation Bay Resort and Spa as one of the top Asian resorts.

A contented guest or good words from colleagues are probably some of the best news that those in the hotel and resort industry would want to hear. So imagine the euphoria of the management and staff of the
Plantation Bay Resort and Spa when they heard of the news that the resort was chosen as one of the top resorts in Asia by the readers of Cond� Nast Traveler!

Source: PhilStar
Photo: Plantation Bay

Ms. Janette Toral, Digital Filipino Director presented the award, given to Cebu Ceboom Ceblog “in recognition of its excellence to harness the Internet for business development and e-commerce.”

Cebu Ceboom Ceblog is blogging about Cebu’s events, tourists spots, visitor inquiries, places to stay, Cebu success stories and the like.

To all our readers and fellow bloggers, thank you for keeping and patronizing this blog. Cebu rocks!

Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino (WCCHC) is a 30-minute drive from Mactan International Airport, and is within easy reach from the City’s financial district, shopping malls, golf courses and white sand beaches.

Rooms

The Hotel consists of 561 well-appointed luxurious guest rooms and suites: 2 Presidential Suites, 4 Family Suites, 3 Bridal Suites, 29 Executive Suites, 16 Junior Suites, 143 Deluxe Rooms, 22 Deluxe Premium Rooms, 157 Superior Rooms and 160 Standard Rooms. On the 18th Floor are: 13 Ambassador Rooms, 10 Ambassador Suites, and 1 Penthouse Suite.

Conventions

Aside from its guest rooms, Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino boasts of its Convention Center. With a total floor space of 10.000sqm, the Convention Center is a total of ten function rooms, three executive boardrooms, and two Grand Ballrooms each seating 4,000 people.

The Gourmet Walk

Restaurant row at the Hotel is referred to as �The Gourmet Walk�. The cobblestone strip, flanked with handpainted, scenic walls, teems with international cuisine choices: UNO (coffeeshop that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner buffet), Madeleine (patisserie), Tin Gow (Chinese restaurant), La Gondola

(Italian restaurant), Mizu (Japanese Restaurant), and Treff (Bar).Other restaurants in the Hotel are: The Lobby Lounge, Pool Aquarius, Caf� Fortuna and Powerhouse by the property’s Citigym, the only gym in Cebu that’s open 24- hours.

Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino is located at Salinas Drive, Lahug Cebu City,

Philippines. For inquiries and reservations, please contact (032) 232-6888: Conventions: Local 8044; Food and Beverage: 8200; 8201; Front Office: 8133.

Photo images: by Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino and KevinWorld

To date, Cebu has occupied the 7th rank three times: 2008, 2007 and 2004. and 8th place ub 2005 and 2006 as the best island destination in the world.

Here are the top 10 island destinations for 2008:
1. Maldives
2. Bali
3. Phuket
4. Mauritius
5. Seychelles
6. Koh Samui
7. Cebu
8. Langkawi
9. Borneo
10. Lombok
Read the rest of this entry…

Technorati Tags: cebu, best islands in the world 2008, philippines, conde nast traveller

Jill Watt, a 25-year-old Cebuana, is the location scout that Bigfoot Entertainment has turned to for its latest feature, Tears From Afar. The film follows the story of a young Vietnamese woman who weds an American man with the expectation that he will send money to her family
in rural Vietnam, but his intentions for her are quite different and she becomes his captive. Bigfoot employs over 50 Filipinos on its production team and Watt’s role is to find the right house, hotel or
scenic backdrop for each scene outside of the studios. Read the rest of this entry…

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