Cebu City revives tourism for mountain barangays

Cebu City relaunched on Tuesday, May 11, its Highland Bloom and Ecotourism project, a program promoting the charm of mountain barangays here.

Cebu Tourism Commission chairperson Jocelyn Pesquera told Rappler that the project specifically highlights ecofarms, game fowl farms, and nature sites found in highland barangays in an effort to revive the city’s tourism industry.

“We launched the Highland Blooms and Ecotourism because we believe that we already have enough materials to promote tourism in the mountain barangays,” she said.

Under the project, Cebu City government has come up with tourism packages that included day trips, and overnight stays across its 10 mountain barangays. The packages also feature six accommodation establishments and restaurants accredited by the city government which have passed health and safety standards.

These six establishments, according to Pesquera, have experienced temporary closure during Cebu’s first few months of lockdown. It was only in November, when the city government allowed non-essential travel, that these were able to open again.

Pesquera said local tourists can start availing these packages by June, when their office finalizes its agreements with partner tour operators.

She added that the tourism commission was also preparing a tourism map to guide travelers who opt to journey on their own and not avail of the packages offered by the city government.

Meanwhile, nature attractions such as waterfalls and caves would be officially opened by January of 2022. Pesquera said that the city government was still checking the safety standards of the sites.

Cebu City is now under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ), the least strict classification. Under MGCQ, non-essential and leisure activities are allowed.

After its successfully putting under control the second spike in COVID-19 cases in January of this year, restrictions have gradually eased up in the city. Included in the easing of restrictions was the lifting of the liquor ban on May 7. – Rappler.com

Photo is a screengrab from Highland Blooms and Ecotourism video released by the Cebu City PIO.