Cebu City Tourism Commission

When Portuguese explorer Magellan and his ragtag Spanish fleet chanced upon a string of islands after an epic voyage across the Pacific Ocean, what pushed them to sail on after a brief stop in Homonhon and Limasawa? The dream of finding the Spice Islands…and much needed supplies and provisions. The natives told them about an island trading center called Sugbu.

So on March 16, 1521, the adventurers found Cebu. It wasn’t surprising that the local chieftain, Rajah Humabon and his wife, Humamay, welcomed the first Westerners to set foot on the island with smiles. Foreigners were not strangers to them. In fact, ships laden with porcelain, silk, spices, iron and other barter goods from the Orient regularly docked in the channel between Cebu and its satellite island called Mactan.

Magellan and his crew charmed the Chieftain and his wife, planted the cross on shore and baptized the natives in the Christian faith. But the initial goodwill quickly deteriorated and resulted in the death of Magellan in the hands of Lapulapu, chieftain of Mactan. The survivors fled and sailed away.

After a 40 year interlude, the Spaniards came back to Cebu and colonized the entire Philippine archipelago. Almost 500 years later, Magellan’s cross still stands in downtown Cebu, symbol of Christianity, the strongest legacy of Spain. And still enshrined in the Sto. Niño church is the gift of Magellan to the native queen, the image of the Child Jesus, venerated with passion by Cebuanos to this day.

Cebu is now the most important trading hub and commercial center outside of the capital city, Manila. Strongly entrepreneurial, Cebu is a sophisticated metropolis with the charms of an island destination – not too far from world class resorts in nearby Mactan Island yet offering a vibrant lifestyle that only a modern urban center can give. There’s more to Cebu than sweet mangoes, fine guitars and gentle people. Shopping, dining and entertainment complement the other facets of Cebu: world class furniture and other exports, special economic zones, IT Parks, central business districts, universities, colleges, hospitals and other facilities that make Cebu one of the best cities in Asia.

Located in the heart of the archipelago and at the crossroads of air and sea travel, Cebu is linked not only to the Visayan islands but also to the rest of the country and international destinations. Modern international air and sea ports serve as gateways to this charming city of a thousand destinations and endless fascination!