[ Manila Bulletin Online ] June 7, 2008
By MARS W. MOSQUEDA JR.
CEBU CITY – The 2,000-member strong National Association of Independent Travel Agencies (Naitas) has praised Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia for her "undying support" in the tourism industry, that also showcases the impressively fast-paced development of the province that truly makes it a choice tourism hub.
Garcia’s "Suroy-Suroy Sugbo" (travel Cebu) has earned the praises of the travel group saying it has further promoted tourism in the countryside and made Cebu among the top destinations for tourists in the Philippines.
"She has shown support for the (tourism) industry. The kind of support that you can’t find elsewhere," said Naitas Chairman Emeritus Robert Lim Joseph.
Aside from the Suroy-Suroy Sugbo, Gov. Garcia also encouraged cities and municipalities in Cebu to initiate festivals to make the visits of tourists unforgettable and the homecoming of fomer residents truly enjoyable.
In return, Garcia shelled out financial support to municipalities that will hold local festivals and attended the events personally to show sincere support.
Joseph said the Cebu governor has done what others have yet to accomplish, which is promoting their own provinces as tourism destinations.
To express its gratefulness, the NAITAS, in cooperation with the Department of Tourism (DoT) has decided to hold the Philippine International Travel Fair (PITF) in Cebu, again, on June 25-27.
The PITF gathers tourism stakeholders from the around the world and hold its main activities at the Cebu International Convention Center in Mandaue City, Cebu.
By holding – for the second time – the PITF, NAITAS had truly recognized the challenges that Cebu’s present and former leaders had faced and undergone, at the start, and during the period that the province had been admirably undergoing the upgrading of its capabilities and other attributes to make it a nice place to go for relaxation, sight-seeing pleasure, scenery admiration, shopping, sight-seeing.
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