The Hotel, Resort & Restaurant Association of Cebu, Inc. (HRRACI) will recognize standout professionals from Cebu’s tourism and hospitality sector at the 4th Cebu Tourism and Hospitality Awards (CTHA) on August 13, 2025, underscoring the industry’s resilience and continued growth post-pandemic.
The awards, launched in 2022 as the tourism industry struggled to recover from COVID-19 disruptions, aim to celebrate individuals demonstrating outstanding service, leadership, and resilience across hotels, resorts, restaurants, and related services.
“We’ve always envisioned CTHA to be an awards program for hospitality and tourism employees,” HRRACI President Mia Singson-Leon said. “We want to highlight the high-caliber, high-quality people we have who are passionate and dedicated to delivering hospitality to the world.”
This year’s awards will take place at the newly renovated Ayala Center Cebu, marking the first time the event is held at the venue. “This will be the first time that we will hold the CTHA in the newly renovated mall,” said Ron Manalang, CTHA Chairman and General Manager of Seda Central Bloc Cebu. “And this is also the first time that we’re given the opportunity to have interactive booths.”
Award categories include Best Marketing Campaign of the Year, Sustainability Champion of the Year, Hotel & Resort Manager of the Year, Front and Heart of the House Employees of the Year, Supervisor of the Year, and Hospitality and Tourism Educator of the Year.
Manalang emphasized that all nominees are already winners. “They bring value to themselves and the properties they represent.”
According to Singson-Leon, CTHA’s broader goal is to support Cebu’s ambition of becoming a globally competitive meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) destination. “To be a world-class MICE destination, you have to be able to deliver professional service through excellent attitude and a heart for service,” she said.
She also noted the awards reinforce public-private collaboration in strengthening the tourism value chain.
“There are things the private sector does well, but we cannot deliver the full experience without the support of government,” Singson-Leon added. “We want the Filipino brand of service not just in high-end hotels and resorts, but across all touchpoints—from shops and street food stalls to transport services.”
The Filipino Brand of Service program, run by Department of Tourism-certified trainers, helps ensure hospitality training standards nationwide.
As Cebu’s tourism sector faces global competition, HRRACI hopes the awards will inspire a culture of professionalism and pride. “Amid all the happenings, we realized that there were a lot of people who really stood out and really gave their all,” Singson-Leon said. “We want their stories to inspire others.”
Business News Asia
