Teo to dispel unsafe tag on Bohol with her visit to its top tourism sites

In an attempt to show that Bohol is safe, Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon Teo will be in the province today to visit its famous tourist sites and attractions.

Judy Gabato, officer-in-charge at the Department of Tourism in Central Visayas (DOT-7), said the visit will prove to the world that Bohol is not only safe to visit but continues to charm visitors despite the recent unfortunate events on the island as well as travel advisories from several countries asking their residents to refrain from visiting Bohol.

“The secretary will also take this opportunity to have a dialogue with the different tourism stakeholders of Bohol and assure them of the Department’s support despite the trying times,” Gabato said in a statement.

Moreover, Teo will also discuss DOT’s plans and programs, especially on strengthening the tourism sector, she added.

The tourism chief was expected to view the Chocolate Hills in Carmen, pass by Loboc River and the man-made forest in Bilar, as well as visit the Baclayon Church.

Teo was also set to meet with Bohol Gov. Edgar Chatto.

Timing is right

Rommel Gonzales, president of the Bohol Association of Hotels, Resorts, and Restaurants (BAHRR), said Teo’s visit was scheduled at “the right time” since the province needs plans to reignite the local tourism industry which suffered from negative impact following the firefight between government troops and members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in the towns of Inabanga and Clarin last month.

“We need plans and action for Bohol so as to increase more arrivals after the very unfortunate incident,” he said in a text message to Cebu Daily News.

Gonzales added that he expects issues such as how the local tourism industry should respond to travel advisories and proper reporting of incidents that may compromise the industry be taken up during the dialogue.

Hotels and resorts, especially those in Bohol, had felt the effects of the encounter, with hotels reporting to have noted room cancellations as well as a drop in occupancy rates when the Korean Consulate issued an advisory for its citizens to avoid the province.

That was on top of the other countries that earlier issued travel warnings in Central Visayas, like the US and Australia.

Alice Queblatin, president of the Cebu Association of Tour Operation Specialists (Catos), said she expects DOT to present specific action plans, not just words or statistics.

“This visit is most appropriate. Any happening in any part of the Philippines always has the most impact on tourism, more so on a prime destination like Bohol,” she said.

Queblatin added that Teo’s visit and succeeding statements will show concern as well as the needed assurance for local stakeholders to move on with recovery measures, with the leadership of DOT as support.

Suspended packages

Cebu-based tour operators took a proactive stance on the problem as they decided to suspend their day tour packages to Bohol as a precautionary measure, a move, however, that could cause the region’s tourism industry to lose up to P800,000 in revenues a day.

In an earlier interview, Queblatin gave this estimate of the losses with the suspension of the day tours in Bohol citing the cost of the tours which range from P5,000 to P8,000 and with an average of 100 tourists availing of these tours daily.

Not long after, however, members of Catos started offering Bohol day tours again.

Toward the end of April, the Bohol provincial government issued a declaration that the island was safe to visit.

‘Behold Bohol’

Josephine Cabarrus, Bohol provincial tourism officer, said she was sure the Capitol had basis in saying so.

“Even before the declaration, we at the tourism sector had always felt safe. Of course, we acknowledged the fact, but we know that the incident was an isolated one and it was far from the tourist areas,” she said.

The provincial government also recently launched its “Behold Bohol” brand campaign last month in a bid to promote tourism on the island and bring the tourism industry to normalcy amid perceived safety issues that remain.

Data from the DOT-7 showed that the region welcomed close to five million tourists from January to November 2016.

Of this figure, 3.4 million visitors stayed in Cebu while 820,640 tourists visited Bohol. Negros Oriental comes at third in terms of visitor volume with 632,223 and followed by Siquijor with 78,788.

The region’s top market has consistently been North Korea with a 43.29 percent share or a volume of 758,451 tourists during the covered period. This was followed by Japan with 328,954, China with 210,450, USA with 169,193, and Australia with 54,425.