Mactan project seen to bring in tourists
November 16, 2007
Cebu Daily News / Inquirer Express

CEBU CITY, Philippines - Cebu's tourism industry is expected to get a boost as another mixed-use hotel and residential resort will be developed in Mactan Island.

AmiSa, a five-hectare leisure project in Punta Engano, Lapu-Lapu City, will be developed by Robinsons Land Corporation (RLC).

RLC assistant vice president for leisure and retirement John M. Reyna said the project was conceived to synergize with sister company, Cebu Pacific Air.

“We have the airport where Cebu Pacific flies daily. This is a very good way to tieup with our sister company and bring in domestic and international tourists,” Reyna said adding that continuous tourist arrivals in Cebu is a good business indicator for the real estate sector.

Reyna said the peace and order situation of the area was considered before the company decided to choose Cebu as the project site.

Cebu offers a beach line which foreigners and businessmen are looking for, he said.

He said the multi-billion peso project is RLC's first leisure project in the Philippines.

The project is composed of a hotel, residential condominium buildings, an entertainment center and 172-meter beach frontage among others.

Six towers, which make up 800 condominium units, will be available to the public but only Tower 1 (composed of 140 units) is open for pre-selling this November 2007. It is expected to be completed on December 2010.

“But the entire project will be an eight-year continuous development project,” he said, adding that local residents will also be given employment because of the project.

Reyna said they are “still under negotiations for the hotel's operator,” but noted that they are looking into having a four-star hotel within the property.

Primary target markets for the project are foreigners and Filipinos living in Europe and United States, local Chinese-Cebu businessmen and the overseas Filipino workers.

“We are not selling a product. We are selling a lifestyle. With a beach setting, residents have several options whether to organize off-shore activities or beach events,” he said.

According to Reyna, the project was “planned to synchronize all developments in the area including the project's green architectural theme.”

“In every floor, there's a sky ledge which gives you a view of the sea and the sun. Both sides of the hallway are open allowing light and breeze to enter which means that we will be consuming less power,” he said.

He added that their team is studying “a way in which water can be processed so that it can be reverted to the system for irrigation.”