Putting Bohol on top of PHL tourism trade

TAGBILARAN CITY, Philippines — Even without an international airport yet to cater to the influx of tourists every year, public and private leaders have been working to make Bohol on top of the country's tourism industry by holding the first Bohol Tourism Summit from June 9 to 10 at the Bohol Tropics Resort Club in this city.

Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim and Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo, who attended the event, praised Bohol for being the first province to do such activity, spearheaded by the provincial government led by Governor Edgar Chatto.

"There's no other place that has great potentials than Bohol," said Domingo in his speech during the Bohol Investment Forum in the evening of the Summit's first day, "even if the country is still hampered by high power cost."

Another top official, chief operating officer Mark Lapid of the Tourism Industry and Economic Zone Authority (TIEZA) said his agency is one hundred percent supporting Bohol's tourism development, adding that the Summit gave shape to the policy of President Aquino, which recognized tourism one of the country's six key areas of competitive strength.

Both Lapid and Domingo were impressed of the unity of Bohol leaders in working to realize the vision of putting the province on top among eco-cultural tourist destinations with strong agro-industrial program and protection and conservation of the environment.

The Summit "is the determination of both public and private sectors to fully harness Bohol's potential to become one of the country's top destinations for local and foreign tourists," said Lapid. "This is one province that has it all to become the ideal tropical tourist destination," he said.

Lapid also urged leaders here to take a closer look at the province's competitive strength that could in turn push up the tourism base of the Philippines, which he said is now lagging behind at 7th in tourism competitiveness among Southeast Asian nations behind Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei, Indonesia and Vietnam, in that order.

Considering the huge budgetary requirement in addressing this concern, Lapid said the national government must now rely on the public-private partnership in the local level. Tourism Undersecretary Ma. Victoria Jasmin pointed out that everybody should put their acts together more notwithstanding the positive growth climb of the tourism industry in the province.

Bohol has been cited number one among the top five destination tours, based on National Geograhic Adventure magazine in 2010, along with Mount Pinatubo Crater Adventure trek, Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Batanes Island and Cagayan De Oro-Camiguin Island hub in northern Mindanao.

Secretary Lim, for his part, underscored the need for "control of carrying capacity" and environment protection as he expounded the need for "sustainable and equitable tourism for Boholanos and the world."

Key stakeholders have identified earlier some of the constraints, strengths and opportunities of the industry, such as the mismatch of promotion of eco-tour destinations, high prices of services and products, eco-cultural against mainstream tourism, uncontrolled environmental law violation, waste disposal problem, lack of marketing strategy and unstable power supply, among others. (FREEMAN)