The Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority announced plans to double the airport’s capacity by 2008, setting up the groundwork that is expected to put Cebu on top of the Philippine leisure and business destinations list.

Cebu, named by the China Tourism News as one of the rising convention and exhibition destinations in the Philippines, recorded an unprecedented increase in tourist arrival in the first half of the year.

Reports from the Cebu tourism office show that the overall visitor arrival from January to June grew 23.87 percent, or 748,006, from its year-ago level. The local Cebu Pacific Air likewise noted a 1 million passenger increase this year, from 1.3 million in the first half of 2006 to 2.25 during the same period in 2007.

The Cebu Midtown Hotel, one of the key business hotels in the Cebu, is upbeat that the planned expansion will make Cebu ever more accessible to foreign and local tourists. It said the planned expansion of the Cebu airport couldn’t be any timely, citing the trend of tourist arrivals from the airport to its hotel in Cebu.

The planned expansion of the Cebu airport will include a facelift on the domestic and international terminals, installation of two more boarding bridges, construction of another departure lounge and a cargo terminal spanning two hectares.

Alongside major stakeholders in the Cebu hospitality industry, the Cebu Midtown Hotel expressed optimism that the airport would not feel crammed once the construction had begun.

The Cebu airport has already reached its capacity of 2.5 million passengers last year. With the tourism department promoting Cebu in the international travel industry, the Cebu airport is seen to have its hands full in the coming months.

Business hotels like the Cebu Midtown Hotel are the oft-visited facilities in Cebu, mostly by investors and entrepreneurs who find it lucrative to do business here. The Cebu Midtown Hotel is a four-star, business class Cebu hotel that boasts of having the world-standard mix of the technology-driven ethos of business and the idyllic vibe of relaxation.

Towering over the Fuente Osmena, right at the junction of Cebu’s tourism hub and business district, the Cebu Midtown Hotel is the city’s gateway to Southern Philippines, either for business or relaxation, or both.

Article by: Christopher Santos - PINOY BIKERS