Property developer Sta. Lucia Land Inc. plans to aggressively expand its tourism portfolio by building 12 new world-class golf courses, country clubs and multiple hotel developments nationwide.
Sta. Lucia chief finance officer David dela Cruz said in a disclosure to the stock exchange the company and parent Sta. Lucia Realty & Development Inc. would continue to venture into tourism-related projects on robust outlook of the tourism industry.
“We will do more to support this buoyant sector as we continue to embark on tourism related assets,” Dela Cruz said, noting the growth in demand from both foreigners and local tourists.
Citing data from Tourism Department, Sta. Lucia said the Philippines generated earnings amounting of P227.62 billion from 5.36 million visitors in 2015. The amount is 5.9 percent higher than the previous earnings of P214.88 billion in 2014.
Sta. Lucia said it would focus to expand its businesses in key cities nationwide with developments in Dagupan City, the Calabarzon area, Iloilo, Cebu, Palawan, General Santos City and Davao.
Sta. Lucia last week also reported expansion projects outside of Metro Manila.
The property company said residential communities, commercial areas and vertical towers in areas in emerging cities outside the metropolis had been a contributing factor in nation-building.
The company currently has 84 projects totalling 1,924 hectares in various parts of the country, including Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Pampanga, Dagupan, Cabanatuan, Zambales, Cebu, Iloilo, Bacolod, Davao, Baguio, Pangasinan and Palawan.
Sta.Lucia recently acquired 36 properties with a combined area of 125.35 hectares in Batangas, Laguna, Palawan, Cebu, Iloilo and Zamboanga City.
It signed four joint venture agreements covering 87.65 hectares in Palawan, Rizal, Antipolo City and Negros Occidental, Visayas.
The deals brought the portfolio covered by joint agreements to 1.824 million sq. m. and land acquisitions to 2.212 million sq. m. in 2016 to date.