[Area Guide] Cebu (Philippines)
Cebu is one of the islands in the Visayas Islands in central Philippines. Cebu Island is surrounded by 167 islands, and the capital is Cebu City. Cebu Island was initially colonized by Spain, and remnants of that time still remain. Today, many tourists and immigrants come to Cebu as a resort, and there are many shopping malls and resort hotels. The population of province of Cebu is about 3.8 million, and the area is 4,422km2 which is almost the same size as Yamanashi prefecture in Japan. The nearest airport is Mactan-Cebu International Airport on the Mactan Island, which is an adjacent island connected by two bridges from Cebu city. It is less than an hour from Manila.
Cebu Overview
As Cebu is known for its resorts, tourism is their major industry. Not only can you enjoy marine sports but also many archaeological site, since Cebu Island has the oldest history in the Philippines. Therefore, there are many domestic and overseas visitors. Ceb is also the main hub site of IT related enterprises and BPO related business, such as call center operations of global companies in Europe and the United States. While India is famous for outsourcing, now Philippines has the top share of the field, and the industry supports employment in the Cebu metropolitan area. Th demand for office buildings led by the prospering call center business is accelerating real estate transactions.
The population of Cebu is expected to increase until 2050 and is thought to expand to 5 million. Rapid population growth and urbanization will continue to drive real estate demand, whereas there is an urgent need to improve infrastructure.There are not only domestic flights but also direct flights to various places in Asia from Mactan-Cebu International Airport. Although buses and taxis are used for transportation, traffic jams are getting worse. Thus, to alleviate traffic congestion, the introduction of Bus Rapid Transit (bus based mass transit system) and LRT (elevated railway which runs in Manila and Malaysia) are being planned, and further infrastructure development will be promoted in the future.
Cebu Popular Property Investment Area
Mactan IslandMactan Island is next to Cebu Island, connected by two bridges, Marcelo Fernan Bridge and Mactan-Mandaue Bridge. The population is about 430,000 which is the most density island in the Philippines. On the island, there is Mactan-Cebu International Airport, and there are many tourists to visit the white sand beach of Mactan Island and emerald-green beach.
Cebu City is the capital city of Cebu Province and is a commercial area located in the middle east of Cebu. Cebu City, the second largest city after Manila, has shopping malls, such as IT Park and Ayala Mall, and is famous as a resort area. Cebu city is also famous for BOP industry including call centre business and for outsourcing destination of information industry such as software production.