As Cebu continues to advance its tourism and investment fronts, Lapu-Lapu City has yet to receive the credit it deserves for its role it plays.
For example, many tourists may be surprised to know that Cebu City does not have a single beach resort, with a vast majority of the renowned resorts like Shangri-La Mactan, Plantation Bay, Movenpick, among others, being based in Lapu-Lapu City, which most tourists often generalize as Mactan or Cebu.
Though they may not be totally wrong since Lapu-Lapu City is part of Cebu Province, the lines are usually blurred when it comes to giving proper credit to the actual city.
Department of Tourism VII Regional Director Shalimar Hofer Tamano hinted at this issue when he cited several groundbreaking landmarks that have made Lapu-Lapu City an invaluable tourism asset, as well as an indelible part of Philippine history.
Besting Boracay
Speaking during the sidelines of the 37th anniversary rites of the Costabella Tropical Beach Hotel, Tamano also cited the little known fact that Lapu-Lapu City bested Boracay in in terms of foreign visitors in 2017.
In an exclusive interview with Expat, Tamano divulged that Lapu-Lapu City hosted 1.2 million foreign visitors in 2017 – 200,000 more than Boracay, while Cebu City ranked third with 900,000.
This was a surprise to many locals and foreigners alike, considering that the Caticlan airport hosted new foreign flights, particularly to and from China and Korea.
But then again, more new foreign airlines have established base at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) in the last two years, boosting the leisure, convention, and ESL (English as a Second Language) markets considerably.
Tamano also gave a nod to the recent opening of the Terminal 2 of the MCIA. The 65,500-square meter facility serves international flights at its present capacity of 4.5 million passengers, a number that is targeted to grow to 10 million in the foreseeable future.
 
By RICHARD RAMOS