Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Wanda Corazon Teo interacts with tourists at the Chocolate Hills viewing deck in Carmen, Bohol.
(CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)
Panglao Island, Bohol — The Department of Tourism (DOT) is setting its focus on Bohol after the recent encounter between government troops and terrorist group members, as well as advisories issued against traveling to the province last month.
Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon Teo, who was in the province of Bohol on Thursday, assured stakeholders that she will bring in tour operators from other parts of the country as well as Asia and Europe to prove that the province is now safe.
“Our focus now is on Bohol, but you are resilient. In one to two months, the tourists will be back. I’m the first one to come here so they will see how safe it is,” said Teo during a dialogue with tourism stakeholders on Panglao Island.
This was Teo’s first official visit to Bohol as tourism secretary. In the morning, Teo met with Bohol Governor Edgar Chatto.
Teo went to see the Chocolate Hills in Carmen and passed by Loboc River and the manmade forest in Bilar, as well as the Baclayon Church.
Bohol, along with Cebu, Palawan and Manila, are tourism destinations that can stand on its feet, Teo said.
“Bohol is fortunate because it has everything here. You have adventure, culture, nature,” she said.
But when the United States issued a travel advisory in April, followed by the gunfight that ensued between government forces and members of the Abu Sayyaf Group in Inabanga, she knew she just had to focus on the province.
For one, the DOT aggressively promoted Bohol during a recently held travel fair in Dubai.
She also told stakeholders that whenever travel advisories are issued, they can reach out to DOT so the agency can immediately contact the embassy that made the issuance.
Teo said that during last April’s World Travel and Tourism Council Global Summit in Bangkok, Thailand, it was proposed that before countries issue travel advisories, they should first inform the nation that will be affected.
“They have to know the situation on the ground. Sometimes the information they get is not correct,” Teo explained.
Teo also got the backing of Taleb Rifai, director general of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), who said he would help allay fears of the international community regarding travel advisories issued against the country.
Rifai was involved in the recovery efforts for Bohol after the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that hit the province in October 2013.
Countries like the Philippines, which are dependent on tourism, are greatly affected by these issuances, especially those that may be inaccurate.
Lawyer Lucas Munag, chairman of the Bohol Provincial Tourism Council, said the secretary’s visit was proof that the province is safe and resilient.
Munag said the PTC noted at least 12 big foreign groups that canceled their trips to Bohol after the recent events while more than 200 cancellations were attributed to other establishments.
“We see this as a short-term disruption. We’ve been able to replenish these cancellations with local tourists and a few international travelers,” he said.
Munag asked Teo to consider bringing more members of the press as well as travel operators handling major markets to Bohol.
Among the province’s major markets are Korea, Japan, the US and China, all of which issued travel advisories last month.
As of April 30, however, travel advisories from China and Japan had already been lifted, said Teo.
Teo also accepted the provincial government’s invitation for her to grace the Sandugo festival in July, which Munag said will be an opportunity to showcase how Bohol rebounds from “little hiccups.”