Tourist arrival level
in CV alarms Bohol

Statistics on the growth rate of tourists' arrivals in the Central Visayas' four provinces generated alarm from local stakeholders after the province was rated with the lowest growth during the second quarter of the year.

Meanwhile, the much-awaited standardization program of resorts, hotels, pension houses, restaurants, travel agencies and other tourism- related firms will soon kick off after the provincial government released its fund support of P500,000 to the Provincial Tourism Council (PTC) last Thursday.

Figures released from the Department of Tourism showed Bohol with the lowest growth at only 0.8 percent (64,476 arrivals this year from last year's 63,986).

The statistics, however, showed that Bohol remains as the second most visited province in the region, next to Cebu. Nevertheless, the low growth rate during the second quarter of the year triggered industry players to look on the possible factors behind the decline in the growth rate.

Chair Peter Dejaresco, of the Provincial Tourism Council (PTC) sounded the call to re-evaluate the factors behind the supposedly tourism growth in the province. He confirmed observations from several quarters here and abroad that room rates in the province are quite expensive compared even to top resorts in Mactan, Cebu.

Asked on how this negative observation be addressed, the PTC chairman said that the entry of international chain of hotels/resorts will eventually level off the rates, he explained while citing that since this is a free enterprise, the existing resort owners can decide on their rates.

"It will be a different ball game when resorts like Regency, Marriot or Shangrila will enter into the Panglao market to complement the existing resort owners," he explained.

The figures on the growth rate on tourist arrivals are based on tourists who checked in local resorts, hotels and pension houses. It excludes the hundreds of tourists who come to the province just for a day tour.

"Tourist arrivals" in the DOT standard which is also based on the World Tourism Organization (WTO) would only include those tourists who would stay for at least 24 hours in a destination, according to DOT Regional Director Dawnie Roa when interviewed regarding the statistics published in a Cebu daily last week.

Siquijor posted the highest growth in visitor arrivals among the four provinces in Central Visayas. Tourist arrivals in Siquijor rose to 4,944 in the second quarter this year, up 21.4 percent from last year's 4,072. Cebu came second with 20.5 percent (43,457 compared to last year's 302,490).

Negros Oriental posted a 10.7 percent hike or 43,457 from last year's 39,251.
Meanwhile, Gov. Erico Aumentado who attended the PTC meeting last Thursday asked the Bohol Tourism Office to get the statistics of tourists visiting the world famous Chocolate Hills so to determine the volume of tourists visiting the province everyday.

Close to 90% of the daily tourists arriving here visit the Choco Hills in Carmen town, he said.

STANDARDIZATION PROGRAM

The much-awaited standardization program of stakeholders in the tourism industry will soon kick off here.

This followed after Gov. Erico Aumentado released the fund support of P500,000 to the Provincial Tourism Council's initiated program to standardize the operations of hotels, resorts, pension houses, restaurants, travel agencies and other tourism related facilities.

The program will necessitate facilities of the "minimum requirement" based on the standard prescribed by the Department of Tourism. Only those properties which will meet the requirements will be recognized by the PTC through an official "PTC sticker" which will be posted at the establishments. These PTC accredited establishments will be included in the promotional efforts of PTC and other government-private sector initiated sales and promotional blitz.