Special Tours Await APEC Delegates in Cebu

Delegates who will be visiting Cebu for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings will have the chance to enjoy a glimpse of Cebu's rich historic past via a specia tour prepared for them by the Department of Tourism (DOT) here.

The tour will not only bring visitors down memory lane but also offer present-day attractions and upcoming developments in Cebu.

The short trip will cover old structures dating back to Spanish times, American period buildings, commercial districts, and the upcoming seaside developments in the South Road Properties, said DOT-7 Senior Tourism Operations Officer Judilyn Quiachon.

Quiachon said participants of APEC 2015 meetings in Cebu will be treated to cultural performances at some of Cebu City’s historic structures.

According to Quiachon, guests will be shown a reenactment of Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan’s arrival and planting of a cross on Cebu soil in 152, and the subsequent baptism into the Roman Catholic faith of Sugbo’s Rajah Humabon and Queen Juana and a few hundred of their followers at Magellan’s Cross.

“Candle vendors at the Basilica will perform the traditional Sinulog dance for our visitors. APEC delegates will also get the chance to ride on a tartanilla to Fort San Pedro where they will be welcomed by volunteers in Spanish outfits and served Spanish food and wine,” she said.

Fort San Pedro, Cebu City

At the old Chinese district of Parian, tour participants will get to explore the centuries-old Yap-Sandiego ancestral house and the Jesuit House of 1730 that is now known as the Museo Parian.

The complimentary tour will take three hours and will bring APEC delegates past Colon Street, the oldest in the country, with its Chinese lantern decorations on its way to the Provincial Capitol building, passing by such significant American period structures as the Cebu Normal University, Fuente Osmena Circle, CAP Building, and Rizal Library.

There will also be side trips to the University of the Philippines (UP)-Cebu Campus, Cebu IT Park, Ayala Center Cebu, and South Road Properties (SRP) up to the new SM Seaside City.

APEC delegates may also pick from eight paid tours crafted exclusively for them, said Quiachon.

These include the: Cebu Island Arts and Crafts Industry Tour, Island Hopping Safari, Cebu Highlands Tour, South Countryside Tour and Village Experience, Dive Cebu!, Cebu Food Trip, Spa and Wellness Package, and the Bohol In A Day Adventure. (rmn/PIA7-Cebu/Cebu Capitol PIO)