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Bohol plays host WEC delegates visit
 
TAGBILARAN CITY - Bohol bounces back and still the favorite eco-tourist destination in this part of the globe following the technical tour of the delegates of the 5th World Eco-Tourism conference (WEC) held in Cebu City even as the province is still reeling from the destruction wrought by impact of the Oct. 15 earthquake.
 
Some 169 delegates of the conference disembarked from the chartered fast craft at the city port yesterday. They’re welcomed by Bohol tourism officials, including Provincial Tourism Council chairman Atty. Lucas Nunag, Provincial Tourism Officer Jo Cabarrus, Bohol chamber of Commerce and Industry president Atty. Mans Tumanda and Atty. Benjie Arcamo, chairman, tourism committee of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.
 
The visitors, including foreigner participants, were expected to roam around, including the usual route to the Chocolate Hills, but not without stopover at the Sandugo shrine in Bool in this city, Baclayon church and the Tarsier sanctuary in Corella town, tour operator Walter Sultan said in an exclusive interview. Part of the tour package is the cocktail at the newly-opened South Palms beach resort in Panglao town, where the white powdery sand in long stretches of coastlines are abound, he said.
 
Tourism industry still manages to hit a total of roughly 400,090 tourists who visited here last year (2013), data of the Bohol Tourism Office (BTO) showed.
 
For the month of January 2014, a total of more than 25,000 visited Bohol though this may be less than the 29,000 plus in the same period of last year, BTO said.
 
As expected, the month of May (2013) registered the highest, 50,339 visitors but obviously downed during October with only 15,772 when tremor hit the province.
 
The count jumps to 18,355 and 26,475 in November and December 2013, respectively. The month of April counts with a total of 49,583; January --29,480; February --35,392; March --38,559; June --37,153; July --34,003; August --33,676; and September --31,304.
 
Domestic visitors still account the biggest with a total of 221,960 (146,866 via air and 75,094- sea transportation during the year.
 
The Asians registered the highest with 115, 928 (via air and sea) along with Europeans, 34,097 and Americans, 28,105.
 
The tourism boom was felt when some 641,614 visitors arrived here in 2012, the highest so far in five or so years. It registered a total of 539,755 in 2011; 532,061 in 2010; 461,181 in 2009; 567,174 in 2008; and 531,811 in 2007; and 418,030 in 2006.
 
The highest rate of increase of tourist arrivals, 27.2%, is recorded in 2007 but the lowest with only 6.64% occurred in 2008. The province posted an 18.87% in 2012; and 15.37% in 2010.  Still, domestic visitors dominated the arrivals followed by Asians in all those years. (Ric V. Obedencio)

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