Logistics firm offers skip trip program to help revive Bohol

CEBU, Philippines - Logistics company 2GO Group Inc,. is collaborating with the Bohol provincial government, Bohol Travel Village and Tours, and SuperCat to help promote the domestic tourism of Bohol through the Island Skip Trip program.

The company aims to help revive the tourism industry and rebuild the livelihood of Boholanos after a devastating 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit Central Visayas and most parts of Bohol last October 15, 2013.

This program is also in partnership with the Department of Tourism – Region VII and Loboc Tourism.

In an interview with 2GO Shipping Central Visayas area head Luz Torrevillas, she said that the tourism promotion program is aimed to jumpstart the recovery of the province after the quake and eventually put Bohol back in track as one of the major tourism destinations in the country.

She said that the transport company believes that the tourism industry is one of the key economic drivers in Bohol. The tourism industry of the province, according to Governor Edgar Chatto, accounts a contribution of 20 to 25 percent of the Bohol economy.

“As a transport company, we feel that helping Bohol by promoting tourism is where we can help the most. Bohol is considered to be a vital link for 2GO as a shipping company and we will continue to support Bohol in whatever way we can, especially now, and put them back to recovery in the shortest time possible,” Torrevillas stated.

2GO Shipping, she added, claims to be the first shipping company to offer such program to help the affected Boholanos in reviving their tourism industry and their livelihood.

The program covers Bohol day tour of Skip Trips and an overnight package that includes moonlighting in Panglao.

Torrevillas cited that other adventure tours will resume once the sites are operational such as DATE Catigbian and EAT Danao.

The Island Skip Trip has since started in 1998 as a sit-in coach day tour package and was customized to cater to the tourism promotion of Bohol after a calamity struck the province. The countryside tour is inspired after the concept of a fast yet jampacked tour around the province of Bohol.

The package is inclusive of a roundtrip 2GO travel ticket to and from Bohol, air-conditioned transportation in Bohol, a professional English-speaking tour guide, Loboc River Cruise with lunch, applicable entrance fees and terminal fees in Cebu and Bohol.

Among the tourist destinations to be visited as covered by the Island Skip Trip include the Blood Compact Monument, Baclayon Church and Museum, Corelle Tarsier Sanctuary, Loboc River Cruise, Bilar Man-made Forest, Chocolate Hills, and Butterfly Conservatory.

On the way to the different tourist destinations, tourists can view the devastation caused by the tremors such as boulders and stones from landslides, fallen houses, makeshift tents, destroyed bridges and churches, the split Chocolate hill, and the people’s lifestyle that has been changed after the quake. 

The Island Skip Trip package is pegged at P2,850 per person. If a pair of tourists wants an exclusive tour, the P4,000-package each is also available.

Torrevillas shared that as of October 30, the Island Skip Trip program registered an upbeat market reception as it already catered to 100 tourists, who are mostly domestic, since its resumption.

She said that the Skip Trip day tour program was simultaneously resumed the day the Loboc River Cruise recommenced last October 24.

For this program, SuperCat provides one dedicated fast craft vessel with three scheduled trips per day. The Cebu to Tagbilaran route shall start every 6:30 a.m. to be followed by 11 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. trips. The Tagbilaran to Cebu route, on the other hand, begins every 8:45 a.m. with the subsequent travel schedules every 1:15 p.m. and 4:45 p.m..

She cited that Bohol contributes about 15 percent of the total passenger volume of SuperCat in a year.

Torrevillas revealed that the Bohol tourism program will be continued even after the province finally gets back on their feet to cater to the local and foreign tourists who wish to explore Bohol.

2GO Shipping earlier announced during the first day after the earthquake its free shipment of relief goods which is still on-going up to now.

Private organizations, civic groups, government agencies, and concerned individuals may send their relief goods through 2GO shipping. It opened a part of the SuperCat Terminal in Pier 4 as drop-off center. /JOB (FREEMAN)