By Roderick T. dela Cruz

CEBU?A five-star hotel and resort built by Korean investors on Mactan Island is now hiring more than 1,000 staff to run the 7.5-hectare project when it opens in April this year.

?During this global economic downturn, we are showing to the world that Cebu is bullish,? said Tourism Secretary Ace Durano.

Durano said Philippine BXT Corp. had spent more than P4 billion to build the 557-room Imperial Palace Waterpark Resort and Spa on a 7.5-hectare paradise in Maribago, Lapu Lapu City.

It will be run by Imperial Palace, which also manages hotels in Seoul, Korea and Fukuoka, Japan.

The project has a 180-meter wide beach line, impressive swimming facilities and private villas.

The resort will soon have its own 18-hole golf course and country club designed by golf legend Arnold Palmer in central Cebu.

Durano said more than 2,000 Filipinos were employed during the construction phase of the project, while 1,100 others will be employed as hotel staff when it opens this year.

Shenon Kwon, public relations manager of Phil BXT, confirmed that positions were available for all divisions in the company, including administration, guest relations and reception, room, restaurants, laundry and facilities.

Durano said thousands of others would benefit from the project, including suppliers, transport owners, and retail operators.

Lilia de Lima, director-general of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority, said the project proved that there were opportunities in the economy, despite the financial difficulties of electronic companies located in special economic zones.

De Lima went to Cebu last year to declare the hotel area a tourism economic zone. She said Phil BXT?s project was the first tourism ecozone declared by President Gloria-Macapagal Arroyo in the Visayas.

?We see the potential of our investments here in Cebu,? said Park Jong Hwan, president of Phil BXT.

Amando Huh, general manager of Imperial Palace, said the hotel company was also looking at other investment opportunities in the Philippines.

Durano said the new five-star hotel would provide more rooms for foreign tourists, which are expected to remain above three million this year, despite the global economic crisis. Some 3.2 million foreign tourists visited the Philippines, he said.

Durano said the last four years were the renaissance period for Philippine tourism, with the impressive growth in international visitor arrivals and tourism investments.