Source: Cebu Daily News
By Aileen Garcia-Yap
March 14, 2011
To sustain and expand its growth, Cebu needs to focus on China and the rest of the Southeast Asian region as its primary market in the next few years.
Former tourism secretary Joseph Durano said this in last Friday's forum entitled “Sustaining Cebu's Tourism Leadership: A Blue Ocean Strategy” organized by the Ateneo Graduate School of Business and held at the Diamond Suites Hotel, Cebu City.
Attended by tourism and business stakeholders, the forum is aimed at drafting strategies to further build Cebu's tourism program.
Durano said this is done by identifying markets and developing packages to entice international tourists and investors to visit and do business in the province.
Durano said during his tenure as tourism chief, the department identified four types of markets for Cebu.
These consist of the core or bread and butter market, the momentum market, the investment and turnaround market and the maintenance market.
He said Cebu's core market was South Korea, Japan and China while the momentum market consists of Australia, Russia, Germany and Canada.
Durano said these four countries can be focused on for expansion.
The US, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore were the investment and turnaround markets since they can produce returns in the next few years while the Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark and United Kingdom represent the maintenance market that can be tapped for further opportunities.
“Cebu will need to shift it’s focus to sustain what we have now. South Korea and Japan are still viable but China and Southeast Asia are sustainable markets that will continue to fuel Cebu’s leadership as a tourist destination,” Durano said.
Durano said India can be Cebu’s investment and turnaround market while Europeans continue to be part of the province's maintenance market due to their interest in Cebu’s scuba diving attractions.
Durano also said Cebu’s international direct flights can be used as its leverage to develop further and broaden its market base.
“I see that Malaysia is also aggressively promoting here in Cebu, that kind of partnership can be used both ways – to help Cebu get visitors from Malaysia and from Cebu to Malaysia. This is an opportunity, a win-win for Cebu,” he said.
Durano said Cebu remains the best destination brand but it needs to expand its market and product base by evolving and riding with the changing tide of the market.
Durano also presented the Tourism Value Chain program which he and his team developed which consists of promotions, packaging, air transport, land transport, accommodations and tourist services.
