Gov. Gwen Garcia has bannered the best tourism practices of Cebu during the Go Negosyo Tourism Summit 2023 on Saturday, May 6, at the SM Seaside.
The governor took pride in Cebu’s resurgence in tourism especially after the pandemic and Supertyphoon Odette.
An almost 20-minute audio visual presentation narrated Cebu’s successful implementation of its tourism programs particularly the Suroy-Suroy Sugbo, a pet tourism project of the Gov. Gwen, which is well on its way to a nationwide implementation through the Department of Tourism.
Even amidst the negative economic impact of Covid-19, Cebu has triumphed in ensuring the recovery of the industry as it now welcomes back more tourists.
Aside from Suroy-Suroy, the Provincial Government also bannered the other landmark programs it has implemented that helped tourism recovery: the R Cebu trade fair, Lakbay Lokal, the 1 Cebu Expo, Dasig Sugbo, Sugbo Negosyo, Sugbo Kahanas, Sugbusog, and Enhanced Countryside Development.
In her speech, Gov. Gwen emphasized Cebu’s consistent direction in welcoming more tourists both local and international as they help in bringing revenues to local businesses and drive the province’s tourism-led economy.
Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco, who delivered a special message during the event, underscored Cebu’s crucial role in the overall tourism development of the country.
She likewise prided how Cebu has managed to rise above the challenges, with Gov. Gwen at the helm whom she described as a “leader in tourism governance.”
Under the Marcos administration, Frasco assured of continued efforts to push for the growth and development of the tourism industry moving forward.
Also joining Gov. Gwen during the event are Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, and other tourism stakeholders.
The Tourism Summit is the second one organized by Go Negosyo since 2019. This year’s summit seeks to encourage important dialogues as well as elicit insights on the future of tourism and economic opportunities especially for the micro, small, and medium enterprises in the tourism industry which have been heavily impacted by the pandemic.
Further, the summit seeks to be a platform for the discussion and reflection on what has been done in the Philippines and the ASEAN region in relation to the improvement and promotion of sustainable development of island tourism.| Carlo Lorenciana