Firstly, I think we should address the issue of safety and security. Tourists need the peace of mind that if they wander around after dark, there is a close to none possibility of something bad happening to them. Case in point, I myself am married to a person of another race. There are a lot of places in Bohol and the Philippines at large that I would not feel safe for my husband to be out and about wandering with me. Even my parents advise me against it. I take that to heart because they know more about the current situation that I do.
If the crime rate was lower and there are stricter punishment for even petty crimes, I think Bohol would be more attractive to tourists. What good are beautiful places if you risk life, limb and money ? Think about it, I'm sure there are pretty places in Libya but I don't think people are clamoring to go there because of the political situation.
2.) Cleanliness - Sometimes we are pretty good about it and sometimes not. There were times when I visited and I can feel proud about Tagbilaran, and other times...well, it gets pretty bad. Plastic bags flying all over the place and stink like you wouldn't believe around the city center. It would be nice if it would be pretty consistent on the cleanliness part. :-)
3.) Roads and Infrastructure - We have so many beautiful sights,sounds and things to experience around the island. When my in-laws were in Bohol in 2004, I wanted to take them to see all of them. Unfortunately, the land travel alone was exhausting. Despite the fact that we were in an SUV with pretty good shock absorbers, It was still bumpy. How can our tourists really enjoy our sights and tourists spots if they are exhausted before they even get there ? If they are nice, energetic and happy, they would spend our money. That would spell more income to those tourist spots and the souvenir vendors and even the food vendors too.
4.) CLEAN Bathrooms and Rest Areas - Ahhh....the call of Nature. Pretty self explanatory.
5.) VISA, MASTERCARD, DISCOVER, AMEX - It may cost businesses a processing fee but in the end, places that will accept more flexible forms of payment get more income. In 2006, my close childhood friends and I went to Tawala, in the Alona beaches for just a hang-out night. It was my treat. Unfortunately for me, I underestimated how much things cost and didn't bring enough cash. Well, long story short, we found a bar/resto that accepted my visa debit card and that place made a good chunk of change feeding and serving us girly drinks that night. :-P
6.) Reasonable Island Tour Packages - Just because we're catering to tourists, doesn't mean we have to suck them dry. We want them to come back and bring their friends with them too. If we present a great value for the a really low price, we can even boost our local tourism and keep our foreign tourists coming back. Case in point, if it costs $100/pax for a 3 day Bohol tour and thesame for a 3 day Hong Kong tour....hmmmm....do you think most foreign tourists would go back to Bohol or just not make the extra flight and stay in Hong Kong ? (You know, bigger city, bigger airport, more things to see...etc etc etc ).... I know for a fact that in 2010, Hollywood Day tour including lunch was $65, thesame day tour around Bohol cost $80. I think I can safely say for a lot of people, touring Hollywood has so much more history and things to see vs our little island, as beautiful as it may be.
7.) Food and Grub - My mother-in-law ordered Spaghetti Marinara for dinner in Bohol Tropics back in 2004. To her surprise, her spaghetti came with squids and shrimps and other unidentifiable seafood-like objects. I can't help but laugh..."Marinara" kinda like "marine" ? LOL. For a first time asian traveller like her ( She's Canadian but has lived in the US most of her life), It didn't seem so funny. She was hungry and ordered the safest food, SHE THOUGHT, was on the menu. Some pasta with tomato sauce and cheese. Afterall, Marinara sauce is almost plain tomato sauce with some spices. Things have gotten better since then, though. Garden Cafe is always a good choice, but we need more places like it. Jjs, Payag, Bohol Tropics, Mira Villa, to name a few, have really awesome food...but for the most part, our foreign tourists need a guide to navigate the menu sometimes.
8.) Boat tours/Island Hopping (just bohol) Tours - same as number 6. Reasonable prices. Also should be safe. :-)
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