Czech envoy seeks strong tourism links with Cebu

The Embassy of Czech Republic is seeking increased tourism cooperation with Cebu, its ambassador to the Philippines said.

In an interview yesterday at a travel trade forum in Cebu City, Jaroslav Olša Jr. said the state-run CzechTourism has started cooperating with new partners in Cebu, Bohol and Davao.

The ambassador announced the embassy in partnership with VFS Global opened last month the Czech Visa Application Center in Keppel Tower in Cebu City.

"This launch of this facility was the next collaboration with VFS Global which started in Manila last December 2017," he said.

The official noted the embassy aims to provide a more accessible visa application process to all tourists coming from the Philippines.

"Traveling to the famed cities of the Czech Republic from the Visayas will be a lot easier," he said.

"My embassy aims to provide efficiency and further service availability through its new visa facility to more applicants in the Philippines especially those who have difficulty applying in Manila," he further noted.

Olša pointed out accommodating the growing demand for visas reflects the embassy's push to bolster people-to-people network between the two nations through tourism, business and culture.

Michal Prochazka, director at the CzechTourism, said their government further wants to promote the central European country to the Philippines, which is among the promising markets in Asia.

"This is a rising market. This is our future market," he said. Based on estimates, he said around 20,000 Filipinos had travelled to Czech Republic last year.

"In particular we want to develop the Cebu market with the recent opening of the visa application center here," he said.

Olša also noted the rising number of travelers from Czech Republic visiting the Philippines, citing their growing interest towards the island of Bohol.

He described Bohol as a good place for "bike tourists". "Our people also like to travel. And the Philippines and Czech Republic have many similarities," he said, citing the latter also has many churches.

"There is a steady increase in our people visiting the Philippines approximately about 6,000 to 8,000 tourists. They are interested in sand bathing, diving and biking," he said.—