Capitol Welcomes 10th Ambassadors, Consuls General and Tourism Directors Tour

The Capitol rolled out the red carpet to welcome the nearly 400 guests of the 2015 edition of Ambassadors, Consuls General and Tourism Directors Tour (ACGTDT) at the Capitol Social Hall last July 7.

Governor Hilario P. Davide III and his wife Mrs. Jobel Angan-Davide together with Vice-governor Agnes Magpale and provincial board members Grecilda Sanchez and Miguel Antonio Magpale welcomed the guests.

This annual tour will enable the participants to visit historical sites and landmarks in Cebu, such as the Fort San Pedro, Magellan’s Cross, and Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño, among others.

The tour also includes visits to local manufacturing industries, the island’s world-renowned furniture makers, dried fruit stores, local handicrafts, and fashion accessories shops.

“Suroy Suroy Sugbo” tour has been also arranged by the Provincial Tourism and Heritage Commission (PTHC) to take the delegates to southern Cebu attractions and heritage sites.

In his welcome message, Davide askes ACGTDT participants to share to the world about their experiences in Cebu.

“Cebu is beautiful as she is. You can tell them of Cebu’s history and rich culture, tell them about the Cebuanos and tell about your Cebu experience,” Davide said.

Davide says that tourism is an effective trigger and important key to economic development not just in a specific town or barangay, or in community or tourist destination but also in the entire province.

“We also believe that tourism efforts should be sustainable, respectful of tradition and protective of the environment,” Davide added.

Philippine Ambassador to the United States of America Jose Cuisia, Jr. expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the governor and the Provincial Government for hosting the event.

“We all agreed it’s the right place to come. I’m confident that my colleagues and participants did not make a mistake in choosing Cebu,” Cuisia said.

“I hope that my “Kababayan” will get to sample the Cebuano hospitality not just today, but tomorrow and the following day and decide to come back and stay much longer. There are so many places to see, which cannot be done in two or three days. Stay longer and you’ll understand why Cebu is a favorite destination in the Philippines,” he added.

Cuisia and his wife enjoyed coming back to Cebu. The couple used to come to Cebu regularly when Cuisia was the president of Insular Bank-Asia.

He said Cebu is not only known as a favorite tourist destination but an export-oriented province.

“Many exporters are based in Cebu. Furniture made in Cebu are sold in the high-end stores such as Bloomingdale,” he noted.

He said he is privileged to own furniture made in Cebu that is proudly displayed in his office in Washington DC.

The 10th ACGTDT is a joint project of all Philippine Foreign Service Posts in the United States (Agana, Chicago, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.) in cooperation with the Department of Tourism, Philippine Airlines, China Airlines, EVA Air, Korean Air, and Rajah Tours Philippines.

The theme for the 10th ACGTDT is “Join, Explore and Experience.” The ACGTDT is organized to enable Filipinos based in North America to revisit their homeland and experience the beauty of the country’s top tourist destinations, take a vacation with family and friends, and explore business opportunities.

www.cebu.gov.ph