Cebu hotels and resorts expected to be full

By Katlene O. Cacho/ January 5, 2011/ http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/business/cebu-hotels-resorts-expected-be-full

THE Hotel, Resort and Restaurant Association of Cebu (HRRAC) expects to report a 100 percent occupancy rate in hotels and pension houses with the onset of the Sinulog celebration.
HRRAC president Marco Protacio said in a phone interview that the high occupancy rate is expected from Jan. 14 to Jan. 17.

“We are anticipating an influx of local and foreign tourists to visit Cebu this month with the Sinulog celebration,” Protacio said. He said Sinulog is an event that never fails to draw tourists to Cebu.
Protacio also believes that Cebu already has enough rooms to cater to its huge number of guests.
“The previous years were a bit challenging as Cebu lacked rooms to accommodate tourists but with the opening of some new hotels and pension houses, I believe that we have enough rooms to accommodate our guests,” he said. He said that just last year, eight new facilities joined their association.

Protacio also said most hotels have come up with different platforms to entertain their guests, especially that this year’s Sinulog celebration will showcase Chinese influence and heritage.
He also noted that the high occupancy rate may also be experienced in resorts, particularly in Mactan, apart from the hotels and pension houses in the city.
“It’s hard to tell where these tourists would stay but I believe that the high occupancy rates will be felt by the hotels and resorts because tourists also prefer to relax in resorts after enjoying the city celebrations,” he said.

Protacio, who is the general manager of Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino, also said Cebu’s tourism industry would do well this year as performance of the industry has already picked up since last year.
“What we need to work on is to increase that capacity of our airport, build luxury properties to cater to the high-end market and promote medical tourism to boost Cebu’s tourism industry,” Protacio said.

Meanwhile, National Association of Independent Travel Agencies (Naitas) Cebu chapter chairperson Jenny Franco also anticipates an influx of visitors with the approaching Sinulog celebration.
“This is not new to us. As expected through the years, December to February is usually a peak season for us. More so in January during Sinulog time,” Franco said.
She noted that additional flights have been placed for the Sinulog week wh