THE opening of the New Bohol Airport in Panglao, Bohol poses a challenge for Cebu to improve its tourism offerings to both local and foreign guests.
When the country’s first “eco-airport” opens this month, it is expected to transform Bohol into a crowd-drawing destination. It will widely open its doors to more domestic and international flights. Tourists who want to go to Bohol may now opt to book direct flights to the island, bypassing Cebu.
Stanley Go, president of Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), said this is the price of progress Cebu has to face.
“For the longest time, we have benefited so much from being a hub of tourism and trade because of our strategic location. But competition makes us do more. It gives us an extra boost to level up our current offering,” said Go.
He thinks the opening of a gateway in Panglao will have an impact on Cebu’s tourism, but, it will be an opportunity for the province to give local and foreign tourists more reasons to visit and stay longer in Cebu before they go on a side trip to Bohol.
“This progress will challenge Cebu to step up. We need to create more reasons for our tourists to choose us first. Besides, we have a totally different (tourism) character to offer,” said Go.
Cebu Business Club president Gordon Alan Joseph agrees with Go, saying, “we need to see this development as both complementary and competitive.” At the moment, Jospeh said the perception is that Bohol has a potentially better tourism product than Cebu.
“For one thing, it is not mired in traffic and the resorts are easier to get to. It is also less populated, which means it has a better ‘get away from it all’ vibe, which is what many tourists like,” said Joseph.
He added that Cebu has traditionally been a hub for regional tourism but with this development, its role can diminish.
“It’s up to us to level up and collaborate to ensure that Cebu is always the preferred destination,” he added.
The P7.8-billion New Bohol Airport airport is expected to have a capacity of two million passengers a year.
Currently, Air Juan flies daily from Cebu to Bohol. In the past, Philippines Airlines offered a direct flight from Cebu to Bohol but it was later on discontinued.
Tour operator Alice Queblatin welcomes the opening of the new airport, in the interest of tourism and investments for Central Visayas.
Queblatin, who heads the Cebu Alliance of Tour Operations Specialists (Catos), said the Panglao airport will improve accessibility and connectivity of the islands in Central Visayas, allowing them to sell the region as one tour product with diverse attractions and activities.
“It lengthens their stay in the region, giving emerging destinations in Bohol, Siquijor and Negros more chances to be connected and develop as tourists stay,” said Queblatin. She added that more arrivals will mean more investments in the hospitality industry.
Filipino Cebuano Business Club Inc. president Rey Calooy believes the new airport will be beneficial for Cebu and Bohol, as tourists will have easy access to visit both provinces.
“We expect more tourist arrivals because now they have two choices of airports,” said Calooy.
On the logistics side, Go said Cebu will remain the preferred hub for cargo because of the province’s location.
“For cargo business to prosper, you have to have the volume. So it would be difficult to move, for now, the cargo business there. For now, Cebu still has that consolidation advantage being located at the center,” Go explained.
For Calooy, he sees the new airport as a boost to micro, small and medium enterprises’ (MSMEs) activities, as it will lessen the cost of cargo handling.