‘Ceboom,’ as seen through Radisson

CEBU CITY, Philippines – It is barely two years old, but Cebu City’s Radisson Blu hotel has seen waves of guests arriving at its doors.

“On the first year [of operation], we’ve seen a lot of business coming from corporate clients mainly from Manila. On the second year, we’ve started to see what we call FIT [free independent travelers]… or those who are just going for holidays,” said Rica Reyes-Rellon, the hotel’s director for marketing and communication.

The growing number of visitors to the five-star hotel, one of the newest in the province and the first Radisson Blu in the region, is only one indication of the continued rise of Cebu.

The province has been one of the top business and tourism centers in the country, and Cebuanos are continuing to prove that “Ceboom” is here to stay.

It has long been a center of trade in the region, and in the past 5 years, the province’s economic growth rate has averaged close to 20%, higher than the national average.

In 2012, investments that went into the province amounted to P30 billion, resulting to some 150,000 new jobs, based on data from the Board of Investments and the Philippine Export Zone Authority.

In terms of tourism, the province has steadily ranked in the top 2 destinations in the country. In 2010 alone, more than 1.7 million locals and foreigners visited the province for business and leisure. It is also a preferred jump-off point to neighboring tourist destinations such as Bohol and Siquijor.

With favorable economic and tourism conditions, it’s no wonder why many investors and travelers come to this central Visayan province.

In the case of Radisson Blu, Rellon said that aside from Carlson Rezidor and SM Hotels finding the perfect partner in each other, Cebu was also an attractive option to build a new hotel because of its prominence on the world tourism stage.

The province placed 7th in Conde Nast’s survey on the best islands in Asia.

“I believe it was actually a combination of looking for a property that was in Southeast Asia and Philippines being… one of the top island destinations in recent years,” she said.

The mix of guests and clients Radission Blu has had since its opening in 2010 is a testament to Cebu’s continued growth.

“[The] bulk of the market [is] still coming from business… conferences from pharmaceutical companies, from incentive groups… [But] now we are also starting to grow more leisure travelers,” Rellon said.

“We’ve seen a growth in the Korean market, in the Japanese market, and also actually quite interestingly, the Americans, the Australians are starting to come,” she added.

The economic gains is also trickling down to the rest of the province, small and medium enterprises in particular.

“Vegetables are sourced locally in farms actually coming from north of Cebu and even the sea food, the ones that are locally available, we do get locally. Even some of the cold cuts that you enjoy in the spread, those are manufactured locally,” she said.

As 2013 starts, Radisson Blu, like the rest of Cebu, is gearing for another busy and lucrative year despite the troubles that elections usually bring.

They are expecting more guests to stay in their rooms — and stay longer.

“[Guests] stay for at least a week and some even have long stay guests who make it their second home, so to speak, and stay for months here with us,” Rellon said.

In the meantime, local business leaders are also predicting another banner year for the provincial economy, attracting more investors and tourists who will help sustain the boomtown that is Cebu. – Rappler.com

Radisson Blu was a partner of Rappler for #MoveCebu, the most recent stop of Move.PH’s chat series. The chat series discussed how social media can be used for social change, and was organized by Move.PH, Rappler’s citizen journalism arm.