When my parents went to Vietnam for a vacation, we could not help but notice how organized the tourism industry was. We booked a hotel in District One, which is considered as the Tourist District. It has all types of places to stay from a backpacker’s hostels to luxurious hotels. As a compliment, the place also has different types of dining establishments. The streets are filled with tourists until late at night.
We decided to book a packaged tour which was advertised in our hotel. I noticed that the same packaged tours were advertised in all the hotels around the district, and in the tourist websites as well (such as TripAdvisor). On the day of the tour, we were told to wait in the hotel lobby. Someone came in and led us to a spot where other tourists from other hotels who also booked the same tour were waiting. The bus arrived and the person who gathered us turned us over to the tour guide who came with the bus. We noticed that the bus and the guide, as well as the person who gathered us, all belong to different companies. When we reached our destination, we noticed so many other tour guides and buses belonging to different companies but all coordinated in taking care of the tourists.
This experience made me think of Cebu City. Cebu City has so much to offer to tourists. In the first place, the city is very historic and cultural. Magellan landed and died here. Legaspi formed the first settlement in the Philippines here. The city is known for its devotion to the Sto. Niño and the Sinulog are also very popular. The beaches of Mactan is also very near. All other tourist destinations in the other municipalities in Cebu are just a bus ride away. Bohol is just a day trip away. The only problem is that the tourism industry is not well coordinated.
I learned from talking to people that the program of the national, provincial and local governments are not coordinated. I was told that the same is true between the government and the private sector. There is no specific “district” for tourists and there are no packaged tours that are centrally organized and advertised in the hotels. If this is true then it is such a wasted opportunity.
One such packaged tour can simply be a walking tour to historic downtown. One possible route is illustrated in Figure 1. This, however, includes a ride using the “calesa” (horse-drawn carriage), which is part of the attraction. Because of its big space, the Fort San Pedro and Plaza Independencia is the ideal place to gather people to start the tour. The Fort is not big, and it has the extension of the National Museum.
The “calesa” can take the tourist to the Senior Citizen’s Park. Along the way, the “Malacañang sa Sugbu” and the Campacaña Maritima can be pointed out. After dropping off the tourists in the Senior Citizen’s Park, the “calesa” goes directly to Plaza Hamabar to wait for them there. From the park, the tourists can start the heritage walk, first to the proposed Chines Museum (Gotiaoco Building), then to the Rizal Park with the Magellan’s Cross, then to the Sto. Niño Basilica, the Cebu Cathedral, and its museum, then take the “calesa” again from Plaza Hamabar to the Parian monument.
On the way to the Parian monument, the Colon Street can be pointed out. After dropping off the tourists in the Parian monument, the “calesa” goes directly to Casa Gorordo to wait for the tourists there. From the Parian monument, the tourists take the second stretch of their walking tour. They first visit the 1730 Jesuit House, then the Yap-San Diego House, then finally the Casa Gorordo. From Casa Gorordo, the tourists take the “calesa” to Museo Sugbo (the old carcel) before going back to Plaza Independencia.
I actually toured a lot of friends following this route by walking only (except the Museo Sugbo). The main problem with walking is that the heat can be unbearable. Tourists will definitely love the “calesa” ride but it will be very tricky for the city government to coordinate this with the daily traffic. A small, air-conditioned tourist bus is an alternative to the “calesa”.
There are many other packaged tours that can be organized. The Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (RAFI) organized a yearly event called “Gabii sa Kabilin” (Heritage Night). It is a night when participating tourist establishments (museums and sites) would organize packaged tours and everything seems coordinated. But this happens only once a year. Cebu City needs a program that runs the whole year through.
I think this is very possible if all the concerned agencies work together. The only establishments that can easily mobilize their resources belong to the private sector. In fact, a lot of tour agencies have organized similar tours. I believe though that government involvement is crucial to its success.
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