Rachelle M. Nessia
CEBU, August 1 (PIA) --- 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.
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)