by Rey Anthony Chiu
Taking off from a national tourism campaign line, Governor Edgar Chatto’s administration unrolled a banner marketing program for
Bohol tourism industry, which comes out amid a Department of Tourism’s catchphrase “It’s more fun in the Philippines.â€
At the State of the Province Address the governor delivered before the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) and invited sectoral leaders
in Bohol, the governor, who has been credited as one of those who crafted the
Bohol Eco-Cultural Tourism vision in the late 1990’s revealed the marketing program for
Bohol’s tourism is “
Bohol: Heart of the Islands,†and “Bohol has it all, and it’s
all in Bohol.â€
“These are the core messages that we are sending out to the world, through a strong, sustained tourism promotion and marketing program,†the governor said during a forum heard simultaneously in most
parts of Bohol.
When he was vice governor then, Chatto orchestrated the crafting of a province-wide vision and mission and identified eco-cotural tourism as among economic engines for
Bohol’s wholistic development.
Chatto then cited that Bohol’s rich natural resources, high biodiversity and gentle friendly people makes it an ideal magnet for tourists.
Hailed as the place where the friendliness is so eloquently shown by the Sandugo: first recorded international treaty of friendship and consequently the place where the seed of the United Nations was sowed, Bohol’s hospitable people makes the island a destination because of its people.
“We want tourists and visitors to realize that
Bohol is “Authentically Philippines,†and with our pristine environment and emphasis on local arts and culture, through our Center for Culture and Arts Development, they will see what is authentically Filipino,†Chatto said in a packed SP Session Hall, Friday February 17.
“The
Bohol Tourism thrust is all about recognizing
what Bohol truly is – the heart of the Philippine Islands – both geographically and culturally,†the multi-awarded young leader stressed.
“We are at the heart of the Visayas and, culturally,
Bohol is authentically Philippines,†he reiterated.
We want the world to understand that much more than the trifecta of Loboc, Chocolate Hills and the Tarsier, we have the five pillars of tourism, and
we want Bohol to be discovered and rediscovered annually by tourists, eventually becoming a perennial
destination.
According to Chatto, the marketing program is an
outcome of the Tourism Summits conducted through the
Bohol Tourism Office (BTO) which were aimed at ensuring sustainable growth of
tourism industry and unify the
tourism marketing of our municipalities with one voice. (RAC)
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