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For many years now, the Bohol Tourist Booth during the annual Philippine Travel Mart has been one of the most visited by wide-eyed travel enthusiasts; after all, it is one of the most preferred travel destinations in the nation.
But Bohol perhaps needs to metamorphose into a higher level by redefining its target market and addressing its narratives to the new mindsets. It, therefore, launched its new directions with Four F's slogan: Faith, Fitness, Food and Fiesta.
There is a huge "Faith Tourism" market exemplified by the hordes of tourists (Filipinos and foreigners) going on spiritual excursions into the Holy Land and the Vatican for the Roman Catholics.
The storyline of the destroyed and then rejuvenated centuries-old churches in Bohol always fascinates the audience linking it to the people's indomitable faith that refuses to wilt under strong calamities like the fiercest 7.2 scaled earthquakes that ripped Bohol in 2013, followed by "Yolanda". Attraction to such restored heritage icons is intense because there are many people with very strong religious fervor.
The fabled century-old churches in Maribojoc, Loon and Loboc have been fully restored while the Baclayon, Albuquerque and the city's St. Joseph's Cathedral remain intact. There is a faint, unique smell getting near these churches akin to viewing the imposing churches in Europe and the Vatican - a heritage left behind the Spanish fervor of world conquest, spiritually and politically. And people visit and then revisit the iconic Chocolate Hills.
And this has always been Bohol's main target market - the matured, not-so-young adults who never tire of our staple tourist offerings.
But the world is getting younger and that market has the energy and the money to spend on travel and recreation. That market Bohol must begin to address.
But Bohol is not trying to copycat Boracay which has become a "party island" where hip-hop, rock, gyrating dances and noise are omnipresent. As if the night is the last festive evening in their youthful lives.
That's just not its cup of tea. Bohol is still an ideal quiet family destination but it does not mean it will not excite the adrenaline of the youth as a " clean fun destination". There is such an animal as a "sports-action" destination.
Include such competition as the "Iron Man" or triathlon (running, biking and swimming). Scuba diving needs further marketing beyond Balincasag island and other sites already featured in picturesque splendor in international diving magazines. The one they are developing in Jagna bears watching, as well. The circumferential road that surrounds the picturesque fringes of the island can be a "Tour of Bohol" cycling competition site.
Of course, there is the nearby "Swimming with the Whales" in the seawaters of Lila, especially for the city folks who have not even seen live whales in their sheltered lives. The satisfaction is immensely more than just waking up early to catch and watch the whales off Panglao island which is already a "hit" among witnesses.
Bohol has held "Dragon Boat" competitions. It just needs to expand further its reach and promotion. There are scores of zipline thrill adventures on the island.
The newest sports sensation is "paragliding" where sites in Laca and Bunga-Ilaya in Jagna are already developed (70 percent done) for launch by December this year. The point is that Bohol needs to eke its share of the stupendous, dynamic youth market.
Often commenting are young Manilenos saying that "yes, Papa and Tito want to visit and revisit Bohol"- defining a target market we have been stuck with for years. This is the time to tap the huge millennial market which is full of dynamism to see and explore places as part of their personal adventure to tell others about.
"Behold Bohol" can remain an anthem but with a new spunk and flavor tilted to the young therefore laced with enthusiasm and action-packed.
The month of May highlights Bohol in the sense that almost every day there is a town fiesta being celebrated with all the revelry and pomp like a local Mardi Gras. Each town has a cathedral and a patron saint with stories intertwined about the construction of the church and the veneration of the miracles of the saint as told by the old folks.
Each town is also developing its own "unique food staple" to complete over new forty new ones (per town) above the famous peanut kisses, ube jam, Calamay and chocolates from the world-class entrepreneur Doloreich Polot.
As a fitting prelude to all these initiatives, Bohol tourist stakeholders are moving out fast from the "we are not yet out of the pandemic paranoia". Restaurants and bars are enjoined to end their pandemic schedule of making their places like deserted platforms at strike 10 in the evening. With Covid-19 gone, tourists expect to see the lights and the music still on until midnight. It is not against the Ten Commandments, for goodness sake.
The latest news is that Bohol has just been nominated for the UNESCO Global Geopark for its rare geologic monuments (Chocolate Hills, for one), biodiversity, rich cultural heritage and tourist sites managed in a "holistic and sustained manner." That would be a major shot in the arm for tourism.
Meanwhile, the Bohol Panglao International Airport will shortly be turned over from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) to a qualified private sector group (Aboitiz) since the airport is very underutilized. With its runway lights, the airport is capable of receiving flights 24 hours a day. But up to today, there are still only about 15 flights daily and just one night flight and one international flight from Korea.
Bohol has shown its resiliency to bounce back from the earthquake, typhoons "Yolanda"" and the recent "Odette". Now its flagship industry, tourism, is being rebranded to lead Bohol back to full economic recovery.
(Bingo Dejaresco, a former banker, is a financial consultant and media practitioner. He is a Life and Media member of Finex. His views here, however, are personal and do not necessarily reflect those of Fiinex.[email protected])