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Philippines
Cebu City
The island of Cebu is province of Philippines. It is a long and narrow island
and is 225 km (140 miles) from the north to the south. There are about 170
other islands surrounding Cebu such as the islands of Mactan, Malapascua,
Bantayan, Olango and the Camotes. Some of these neighboring islands are homes
to attractive beach resorts and hotels.
The capital of Cebu is simply called Cebu City and it is the oldest city
in the Philippines. The province prides itself as one of the most developed
province in the Philippines and is an important center of trade, commerce,
education and industry in the central and southern parts of the country.
This province is also one of the more visited tourist destinations in
the Philippines and to support the tourism industry, Cebu is home to many five
star luxury hotels, beach resorts, gaming casinos, world class golf courses,
convention centers and modern shopping malls. In 2005, the well respected
Condenast Travellers Magazine picked the province as the 8th best Asia Pacific
island tourist destination.
Air transport and traveling in Cebu is served by the Mactan Cebu
International Airport (MCIA) on Mactan island. The airport serves regular
flights to many countries and cities such as Hong
Kong, Singapore,
Taipei, Busan, Tokyo,
Kota Kinabalu, Kuala
Lumpur, Seoul, Shanghai,
Doha, Qatar etc.
The airport is very busy and a new international terminal is
now under construction to relieve the strain. The new airport terminal is
expected to be ready for operation by 2010. This is an indication that Cebu
attracts many tourists and business travelers.
With almost 90% inter-island
shipping based in the province and also having the most domestic air and sea
linkages, Cebu is the most accessible destination to and from all parts of the
Phillipines. This strategic position makes Cebu a significant industrial and
commercial hub of the country.
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Cebu Festivals and Celebrations
Just like any provinces in the Philippines, Cebu too has its own share of
traditional festivities and celebrations thereby adding more allure to its
tourism industry besides its rugged natural landscape and pristine beaches.
Let us take a look at two of the more popular festivals and celebrations
:-
The Sinulog Festival - The Sinulog festival (also known as Fiesta
Seņor) is celebrated every year on the third Sunday of January and is its
biggest festival. The festival is celebrated in honor of the holy image Seņor
Santo Niņo de Cebú.
The festival is characterized by a very long parade of people dressed in
colourful and even gaudy costumes dancing through the streets not unlike the
mardi gras.
Mantawi Festival - The Mantawi Festival is celebrated in the city
of Mandue which is widely regarded as the industrial center of the province.
The Mantawi festival is only second in terms of popularity after the Sinulog
Festival.
This festival celebrated in honor to St. Joseph (Cebu's patron Saint) .
The main attraction of this festival is watching the dancers trying their best
to match their dance-steps to the rhythm produced by the brass musical
instruments instead of the usual percussions.
The above are just 2 of the many colorful traditional festivals which
entrall both locals and tourists alike in Cebu, Philippines.
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