CEBU CITY, Cebu, Philippines – Cebu’s hoteliers and restaurateurs are enthusiastic about the new change in leadership at the Department of Tourism (DoT), but are urging the new DoT secretary to take a closer look at the current state of Cebu’s international airport and road infrastructure that affect tourism in the province.

The Hotel, Resorts, and Restaurants Association of Cebu (HRRAC) earlier this week said tourism stakeholders in Cebu are “excited with the coming in of the new DoT secretary, Ramon Jimenez, especially because of his deep background in marketing and advertising.”

HRRAC President Hanz Hauri underlined in last Tuesday’s 888 News Forum at the Marco Polo Plaza Hotel here that “advertising is very important, along with promotion and positive news, and that is what tourism is all about.”

Hauri stressed that former Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim was not without achievements during his short term, but “tourism really needs leadership that must be very visible from the front line.”

He said, “Sec. Jimenez can be very effective because he is a marketing guy and if he shares the same passion that we have for tourism, then I think we are on the right track in making tourism the number one industry in this country.”

Hauri said the new DoT secretary should look into the state of the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) and help in providing a solution to the current problem of congestion and reported degradation of the airport’s runway and taxi way.

He said more people are travelling by air and thus, airports are an integral part of a place’s entire tourism activity. “Congested airports will surely turn off tourists and discourage them from coming back,” Hauri said.

Meanwhile, DoT 7 director Dawnie Roa said upgrading of the MCIA has already been programmed several years back but has been shelved due to various is sues, including politics.

Aside from the MCIA, Hauri also urged Sec. Jimenez to look into the condition of the so-called tourism roads to make certain that travel from one destination to another would be a positive experience for tourists.