KOREANS TOP RESORT’S GUEST LIST
Despite the high growth in Chinese arrivals, Plantation Bay Resort and Spa expects Koreans to remain its biggest foreign market, following its week-long roadshow to South Korea General manager Efren Belarmino says Cebu’s hotels and resorts can expect even
Plantation Bay Resort and Spa expects to attract more Korean arrivals this year with the opening of the second terminal of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport a month from now.
Even with increased arrivals of Chinese visitors to the Philippines, Plantation Bay general manager Efren Belarmino said Korea remains the resort’s biggest market. Arrivals of guests from Japan and the United States are also rising.
“Flights from Korea to Cebu have increased daily, the reason we get a good number of Koreans who stay in our resort for at least three nights,” said Belarmino in an interview yesterday.
For a long time, Koreans have led in the number of foreign arrivals in the Philippines. Arrivals from this market keep on growing amid the entry of Chinese guests.
Nationalities
The latest report from the Department of Tourism shows that arrivals from Korea stood at 477,084 in the first quarter this year, with China second at 371,429 arrivals.
Arrivals from the US reached 284,946 followed by Japan with 181,178 guests and Australia with 74,027.
Belarmino believes that despite the high number of arrivals from China as a result of its blossoming economic ties with the Philippines since 2016, Korea will continue to log high arrival growth.
“We continue to see Korean families, friends and couples come to Cebu for vacation. We also see the same trend with the Japanese,” said Belarmino, adding that they also see improvements in bookings from the Chinese market.
“We are optimistic that the opening of Terminal 2 of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport will bring in more numbers for all hotel players,” he added.
Gratitude
To sustain its healthy relationship with their Korean counterparts, Plantation Bay embarked on a week-long roadshow in South Korea recently.
The resort sent 18 of its staff to meet with tourism and travel players in Busan and Seoul.
“The roadshow was our way of expressing gratitude to our counterparts in Korea. They have played a significant role in sustaining the arrivals of the Korean market to Cebu,” said Belarmino.
After Korea, the team is planning to mount another marketing campaign in Japan before the end of the year. Belarmino pointed out that initiatives like these enable them to touch base with their partners abroad at the same time reintroduce Cebu as a favorable destination for their citizens.
Activities
Moreover, Jid Velasco, the resort’s director of sales, said they are offering interactive packages for guests to have memorable stays at their resort.
Mothers and kids, for instance, may spend their quality time making halo-halo together. They also have prepared bonding activities for fathers and children.
“We are mounting activities that will make the stay of our guests unforgettable,” she said.
The homegrown upscale resort in Mactan is currently upgrading its rooms. Velasco said they are already halfway done in completing the renovations of their 255 rooms.
Plantation Bay enjoys an average occupancy of 88 percent.