The BizTour program aims to boost the local economy and alleviate poverty by developing the tourism potentials of the country.

According to Lim, with the world-class quality of beaches in the Philippines, it is no wonder that potential investors are coming in by the bunch to infuse fresh capital into the country’s tourism industry.

Cebu Plus, one of the programs that resulted from the the BizTour initiative, is a five-year program aimed at atracting five million tourists to Cebu annually by 2010.

Proponents of the program have assured that Cebu, and its surrounding clusters, is highly suitable for tourists who have a penchant for gaming, adventure, sightseeing and wellness as it offers a wide variety of activities for them to choose from.

It also assures tourists of 3.5 million annual international air seats in Cebu Plus and the world class condition of the Mactan International Airport, which operates 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

It also boasts of the high visibility, friendly and knowledgeable tourism police, which eliminates security as an issue in visiting the province.

Other parts of the Cebu Plus cluster are Mactan, South East Cebu, South West Cebu, North Cebu, North East Cebu, Bohol, Dumaguete, Siquijor, Boracay, Bacolod , Iloilo, Palawan, Tacloban and Guiuan, while it also offers access to Palawan, Surigao, Siargao, Iligan, Dipolog, Zamboanga, Cagayan. Camiguin, Legaspi and Sorsogon.

The target of five million tourists annually within a five year period is actually a very modest figure considering that Malaysia has been securing tens of millions of tourists, along with Thailand, which has a number of beaches considered by industry leaders as a far cry from Boracay.

According to Lim, also president of Automatic Appliances, Inc., the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) has mobilized its network of 110 chambers and 35 foreign bilateral business councils nationwide to help out in this ambitious program.

The tourism plan is anchored on the country’s five major international gateways — Laoag, Subic Clark, Manila, Cebu and Davao.

By 2010, the planners believe they could secure $ 5 billion annually in tourism receipts. They aspire to create five million jobs on the fifth year of the program.

"Before, the country has continously failed to surpass the two million tourist per year mark. Since the program was launched two years ago, the country now has 2.3 million visitors coming in annually," he said.

He attributed the increase to the program’s drive to promote medical tourism, gaming and other opportunities in the country, even as they continue to push the Philippines to be included in major cruises and tour packages like its other Asian counterparts.