Cebu City is the capital of Cebu Island Province. The province is a long narrow island at the center of the Visayan Islands, 365 miles south of Manila. Cebu City is centrally located in the widest portion of the island at the east coast harbor. Cebu is a city in the midst of overwhelming growth that blends its ancestral heritage and modern business savvy with flair. Standing as the country's top business and tourist destination, Cebu was crowned as The Queen City of the South. Finding its own place under Cebu's friendly skies, business and leisure breathe together with office buildings and beach resorts.

Relics of the past are found aplenty as Cebu is the country's oldest city. The street with the distinction of being the oldest in the Philippines is Colon Street. Colon Street was paved lat in the 16th century by Miguel Lopez de Legaspi and now houses malls, office buildings, theaters as well as museums and monuments. Other historical places are the oldest fortress in the country, Fort San Pedro, Liloan Lighthouse and the Bantayan sa Hari. Cebu was named the country's capital by the Spaniards in 1565 and has been a bustling trade port since pre-Hispanic times. Since that time, Cebu has been able to maintain its stature as the center of trade and commerce in Southern Philippines.

The harbor of Cebu City is an international port with ocean-going vessels and domestic ships. An international destination with flights from Tokyo, Singapore and Hong Kong arriving almost daily, Cebu is home to the Mactan International Airport. Cebu is just a short flight - an hour - away from Manila by plane or 22 hours by boat. It is an ideal jump-off point for other tourist attractions in the Visayas and Mindanao.

More than just a city of increasing sophistication, Cebu still retains much of its provincial warmth and charm, with its colorful past. Apart from Cebu's numerous man-made landmarks and institutions, it also features many miles of forest greens - a haven to wildlife and the place for a perfect picnic. There's the 15,393-hectacre Central Cebu National Park, the 696-hectare Sudian National Park, the Kawasan Falls and the Bolok-Bolok Mineral Springs. nearby Mactan Island boasts of world-class beach resorts.