Tour de Force

CEBU CITY, Philippines—When he ventured into the car rental business, Emmanuel “Jun” Barretto Jr. started with just a single vehicle. But after 10 years, his company now has 19 units.

Jun has also embarked on a travel and tour enterprise.

The Barretto couple

After graduating from the University of San Carlos in 1999 with a degree in hotel and restaurant management, Jun immediately worked as a sales agent. He resigned after six months when his father bought a Toyota Hi-Ace to be used by the family in Cebu.

“I thought about using the van for business since we don’t use it that often,” he shares.

In 2000, his first clients were guests of Cebu Plaza Hotel (now Marco Polo Plaza). At that time, he was 22 years old.

To succeed in business, the Pagadian-born entrepreneur has to constantly seek out clients.

“And by constant pursuit, I mean going to hotels, approaching managers and tour operators offering our lone family van,” he tells the Inquirer.

It was a one-man show with Jun serving as driver, manager and tour guide.

Within a month, he earned P30,000 from drop-off and pick-up services, apart from the whole day rental and provincial tours.

The amount was not even near the salary a regular employee would receive at that time. But this only encouraged him to work harder for his business to flourish.

In 2002, with the help of his family, he established the Cebu Trip Rent-A-Car with three units, two vans and a sedan.

The second among three siblings, Jun says he was inspired by his father, a long-time employee of the Land Transportation Office.

He wanted to measure up to his father, in terms of hard work and perseverance, encouraging Jun to grow his business further.

Cebu Trip Tours was set up in June 2010

Soon, the business did grow by leaps and bounds, literally, as his units traversed roads and brought people to exotic places.

By this time, it was ripe for Jun to venture into the world of travel and tour management since he already had established close relations with various clients.

Cebu Trip Tours was set up in June 2010 with the help of his wife, Maria Kathleen.

Today, the couple is busy creating tour packages for people to enjoy.

“To travel means more than simply getting from point A to point B,” Jun explains. “To travel means to visit a destination and truly experience it.”

Jun and Kathleen’s new baby is called a seat-in-coach tour, where anyone can join a six-hour tour of the city at anytime of the week. The tour was launched last August 2010.

An average of 10 people—a combination of balikbayans, foreign and local tourists—join the tour every day.

A traveler only has to pay P1,200 to enjoy the tour, complete with a lunch buffet, tour guide and entrance fees to various scenic and historic sites.

The itinerary includes Fort San Pedro, Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño, Magellan’s Cross, Taoist Temple, and others.

The company also offers island hopping adventure, golf tours, twin city private tours and Bohol day swings.

His car rental business has 13 drivers, while his tour company has four full-time employees.

Jun says it is hard to start a business, but to sustain it is even more challenging.

“There was a point in my life when I declared that I wanted to be an entrepreneur. I am glad I followed it,” he says.

Within the pipeline is another tourism-related venture called the Cebu Travel Guide, a small booklet that showcases Cebu’s best and well-preserved destinations.

About 5,000 free copies will be printed and distributed for free next month, he says.

The abundant harvest Jun reaped from being an entrepreneur far outweighed the challenges he encountered, he says.

“I have my own time to spare, but it also instilled in me the value of discipline. [Being an entrepreneur] has brought out my creativity.”