PH Resorts Group, a unit of Udenna Corp., has timed the opening of its Philippine resort, Emerald Bay resort on Cebu Island, with the global recovery from Covid-19.
The effects of Covid delayed construction, said PH Chief Operating Officer Jose Angel Sueiro, and stricter quarantine measures in March “created more difficulties in the construction … in terms of labor mobilization and materials delivery just as we were generating momentum.”
However, Sueiro added, “The timing of Emerald Bay’s first phase completion by the third quarter of next year will be ideal, with the recovery already seen to be well underway by that time.”
Emerald Bay was designed by U.S.-based Steelman Partners and will be the largest casino resort on Cebu. Phase 1 will feature 122 gaming tables for mass, premium mass and junkets, as well as 600 electronic gaming machines (EGM) and 270 hotel rooms, reported Asia Gaming Brief.
One of the top tourism destinations in the Philippines, Cebu is particularly popular among Korean and Japanese travelers. PH Resorts recently signed a deal with junket provider ASKI Japan to help it tap into the North Asian VIP market.
PH Resorts said it expects increased vaccination rates to result in more international flights in the coming months, “spurring a recovery in tourism in the Philippines and in the region.”
