QUICK FACTS

1. Cebu is best known as a tropical destination, host to nearly 75 white-sand beach resorts situated all over its 167 adjoining islands. The largest and most well-known are Mactan, Camotes, and Bantayan; all three of which are tourism hotbeds.

2. Cebu lies at the very center of the Philippines, an archipelago consisting of over 7,100 islands. The country is divided into three major regions; Luzon (in the north); Visayas (in the south which hosts Cebu); and Mindanao (Deep South).

3. Cebu is greatly accessible to her neighbors in Luzon and Mindanao since she hosts 14 national and international airline companies, plus over 80% of the country’s shipping companies. This also establishes Cebu as an ideal MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibitions) hotspot.

4. Although Cebu is the oldest city in the Philippines, traces of her distant past are fading in face of the changing times. But one can still visit the country’s oldest fort (Fort San Pedro, built in 1738), university (University of San Carlos, established in 1595), and street (Colon, founded in 1565), all found in Cebu.

5. Also known as the Queen City of the South, Cebu combines the best of both worlds; a modern bustling metropolis amidst an easy-going lifestyle pace where people still find time to have a cup of coffee with close kin and business associates.

6. Aside from her tourism assets, Cebu is also an investor’s haven due to the presence of six economic zones hosting over 300 Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs). At one time, Cebu’s exports in 2007 nearly outnumbered the total combined value of exports of all 40 provinces in the Visayas-Mindanao region (48%-52%)!

7. Some of the world’s most prominent property chains which have found a home in Cebu. These include Shangri-La, Marco Polo, Imperial Palace, Marriott, Microtel, Days Inn, Best Western, and Radisson; thus attesting to Cebu’s solid brand name in the global tourism field.

8. Not too surprisingly, Cebu regularly ranks among the country’s top three tourism destinations year after year. But no one else comes close to Cebu’s drawing power of luring in over 40% of the country’s total number of foreign visitors annually.

9. Spa aficionados will revel in the local massage service termed “hilot.” A holistic and all-natural approach, the hilot is a deep tissue therapeutic body massage using organic herbs, oils, and essences from the numerous healing plants and other natural resources. Treatments can take from one to three hours.

10. Cebuanos are known to be very enterprising in nature with the presence of many business associations and NGOs groupings, each under specific sectors. Examples are Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI); Cebu Furniture Industries Foundation (CFIF); Hotel, Resort, Restaurant Association of Cebu (HRRAC); Cebu Association of Tour Operators (CATO); Japan Association of Travel Industries in Cebu (JATIC); National Association of Independent Travel Agencies (NAITAS), SKAL International-Cebu, and many more.

11. Cebu took world centerstage in the Asia-Pacific region as she hosted the 12th Asean Leaders Summit held on December 2006 and January 2007 at the Cebu International Convention Center, or CICC. The CICC was built in a mere nine months just to accommodate the delegates which also included heads of state from Korea, China, Japan, Australia, and India.

12. Cebu is also known as the cradle of Christianity in the Far East by virtue of the Spaniards. It all started in March 1521 when conquistador Ferdinand Magellan landed in Mactan Island in his search for spices for the King of Spain. He met his untimely death at the hands of Lapu-lapu, a local chieftain. This kicked off the start of Spanish rule for the next three centuries as Spain eventually managed to colonize nearly the entire country, leading to the Christianization of over 85% of the total population to this very day.

13. But more than just a pretty face on the map, Cebu has also earned international accolades and acclaim. The prestigious Conde Nast magazine has ranked Cebu among the Top Ten Best Island Destinations in the Asia Pacific/Oceania region for 2006 and 2007. And the Finance Direct Investment magazine of the London-based Financial Times Group has placed Cebu as eighth among the Top Ten Asian Cities of the Future for 2008.