Manila, Oct. 27 -- The Department of Tourism (DOT) on Monday assured the public that Cebu remains safe and open to visitors, with all scheduled tourism events and activities proceeding as planned even after the Sept. 30 magnitude 6.9 earthquake.

Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco said operations across Cebu and the rest of Central Visayas continue normally, following structural inspections that confirmed that major tourism sites, hotels and transport facilities in the province are safe for public use.

"We, at the DOT, encourage tourism operations in Cebu not only to attract visitors to explore the island's rich culture, history and natural beauty, but most importantly to sustain the livelihood of our tourism stakeholders who depe...