Bohol tourism recovery felt with rising bookings

CEBU, Philippines - A tourism stakeholder have felt the recovery of the tourism industry in Bohol after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit most parts of the province followed by the super typhoon Yolanda during the latter part of 2013.

Pelagos Tours and Travel managing director Nikita Osharov said that tourism players in Bohol felt the gradual recovery of the industry with the heightened interest of tourists to visit the province months after the successive tragedies.

“We see a lot of growth in the number of bookings. Tourists go to travel agents and ask to go to Bohol. We are happy for that despite what happened last year,” he said.

He said that domestic and international travelers are getting more interested to visit Bohol after getting updates and information about the state of the province via the traditional and online media.

He cited ongoing and future developments in Bohol that could help increase the tourist influx in the province. These include more hotels opening up, ferry companies upgrading their fleet, and mall giants expanding their presence.

He also said that the rich eco-tourism and good entertainment facilities of the province create a better impression for travelers particularly for Russian tourists, thus attracting them to visit Bohol.

He then expressed hope that Bohol and other calamity-hit areas will fully recover.

Bohol Governor Edgar Chatto for his part said the tourism industry of the province accounts for 20 to 25 percent of the Bohol economy. He said that economic production is largely comprised of agricultural output and another good percentage of the remittances of Overseas Filipino Workers.

Among the most-visited tourist destinations in Bohol include the world-renowned Chocolate Hills, Blood Compact Monument, Baclayon Church and Museum, Corelle Tarsier Sanctuary, Loboc River, Bilar Man-made Forest, and Butterfly Conservatory.

He earlier announced that Bohol could become a hub for geological and geosciences tours in the country after the earthquake hit the province.

“The ruins are tourist attractions by themselves,” he said, adding that this will be fully realized after the thorough investigation on the quake-hit areas and official clearance from the responsible government agencies. – (FREEMAN)