Cebu hotel secures tax incentives

Ahotel in Cebu City has secured tax incentives from the government for investing P45 million in setting up technologies for contact tracing, online booking and contactless payment.

Last week the Board of Investments (BOI) announced it approved the registration of Surestay Plus Hotel’s P45-million effort to reduce the risk of contracting Covid-19. The hotel, located in Cebu City, is the second hotel project put up by Cebu Quad Management Corp. next to the one in Angeles, Pampanga.

According to the BOI, Surestay Plus Hotel will adopt information technology systems for its contact tracing, online booking and digital payment.

Likewise, the hotel will install cameras equipped with thermal sensors to get the temperature of guests without having to touch them, as well as disinfecting kiosks, as part of its measures to reduce the risk of virus transmission.

The Cebu project is estimated to generate some 32 direct and indirect jobs in its first 5 years in operations. It will also help address the room gap on the tourism side by contributing 63 new rooms.

Further, it is expected to provide additional income to food and beverage suppliers, as well as furniture designers and handicraft makers, in Cebu. As such, the BOI found the project as complimentary to the government’s “Buy Local” campaign promotes the purchase of products and services made by local firms to help them recover from Covid-19’s impact.

The BOI collaborated with the Department of Tourism in introducing the policy that provides investment incentives for tourism and tourism- related activities that upgrade and modernize their facilities to adapt to the new normal.