Cebu’s tourism and hospitality industry is setting its sights on becoming a stronger MICE destination while building a globally competitive workforce as the Cebu Tourism and Hospitality Awards (CTHA) marks its fifth year.
The Hotel, Resort & Restaurant Association of Cebu, Inc. (HRRACI) said its five-year direction centers on strengthening Cebu’s position as a leading destination for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE), developing tourism professionals who can build careers locally, and ensuring industry growth remains rooted in sustainability, culture and community.
“Our vision is simple: Cebu as a globally competitive, people-driven tourism destination,” HRRACI President Mia Singson-Leon said.
Singson-Leon said the industry’s next phase will focus on improving service standards and developing people who can compete with workers in established international tourism destinations.
“We want Cebu to deliver service that can seriously compete with the top MICE destinations,” she said. “At the same time, we want to become a training ground for world-class tourism workers and grow the industry without losing what makes Cebu, Cebu.”
She said Cebu tourism has gone through three stages since the CTHA began: survival, recovery and reinvention.
The industry first dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic and Typhoon Odette, which forced hotels and resorts to close, displaced workers and severely disrupted tourism.
The sector then entered recovery as establishments reopened, flights resumed and businesses worked to restore traveler confidence.
“But we quickly realized that buildings alone wouldn’t make us competitive,” Singson-Leon said. “That’s why we entered the third phase: building our people.”
HRRACI is now emphasizing service excellence, leadership development and sustainability through training, career development and efforts to promote Cebuano culture and stories through hospitality.
“To compete globally, especially in MICE, you need more than facilities. You need people with skill, heart and consistency,” she said.
Singson-Leon said the fifth CTHA represents the industry’s shift from being primarily identified as a leisure destination toward establishing Cebu as a major Philippine destination for both leisure and MICE tourism.
This year’s awards carry the theme “Roots and Resilience,” reflecting the industry’s cultural foundation and its recovery from recent crises.
CTHA Chairman Ron Manalang, cluster general manager of Seda Central Bloc Cebu and Seda Ayala Center Cebu, said the theme recognizes Cebu’s heritage while highlighting the tourism sector’s ability to adapt and rebuild.
“It’s honoring the heritage driving local hospitality forward while celebrating how the industry adapted, survived and rebuilt itself,” Manalang said.
He cited improvements in tourism infrastructure, including the expansion of Mactan-Cebu International Airport and the development of new hotels in Cebu City and Lapu-Lapu City, as factors supporting the sector’s recovery.
Manalang also said Cebu is attracting a wider mix of travelers through MICE events and cultural tourism while the industry places greater emphasis on sustainability and high-value experiences rather than focusing solely on increasing visitor numbers.
The fifth CTHA will recognize excellence in seven categories: Front of the House Employee of the Year, Heart of the House Employee of the Year, Supervisor of the Year, Manager of the Year, Hospitality & Tourism Educator of the Year, Sustainability Champion of the Year, and Best Marketing Campaign of the Year.
The awards evaluate nominees not only on technical skills but also on their contributions to their workplaces and communities, including mentorship, education, measurable marketing results and sustainability initiatives.
Singson-Leon said the awards have evolved into a benchmark for excellence and an avenue to encourage tourism workers to pursue long-term careers in Cebu.
“CTHA puts the spotlight on the people making this level of quality and maturity happen every day—with a smile, with heart and with dedication,” she said. “This fifth year says: we survived, we adapted, and now we will lead.”
For HRRACI, the next five years will focus on translating Cebu’s recovery into sustained growth by strengthening its workforce, preserving its local identity and expanding its competitiveness in both leisure and MICE tourism.
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