Staff members of the Office of the Governor-Medical Outreach Unit, conduct and facilitate a medical mission in Brgy. Cambigsi, Bilar.
The Agri-fishery Retail Terminal (pls see photos) offers a one stop place for foodstuff needs. The retail shop sells fish, organic eggs, vegetables and rice. The retail shop is located at the CPG park fronting Bohol Wisdom School.
Tourism opening set in mid-November
Gov. Arthur Yap reveals that Bohol tourism will be reopened by mid-November 2020 but it would be a slow process and it will be calculated, balancing the health needs of the people vis-a-vis the economic thrusts.
The latest development was personally revealed by the governor to his audience during the regular press briefing on Oct. 9, 2020, which was a virtual one as it was done via the teleconferencing platform Zoom.
Yap said, he recently met with the Provincial Tourism Council (PTC) and the Bohol Association of Hotels, Resorts and Restaurants (BAHRR) for the unified protocols that will be used in the reopening of Bohol’s tourism industry.
“Atong gilantaw nga sa mid-November, tunga-tunga sa Nobyembre, buksan nato pagbalik ang turismo sa Bohol,” the governor during the press conference said.
It was agreed by the tourism stakeholders that the tourism sector here will focus initially on meetings, incentives, conventions, and exhibitions (MICE) events. Examples of MICE events are destination weddings, conventions, team-building activities, family reunions among others, according to the governor.
The governor earlier said during the post-Philippine Travel Exchange (PhiTEx) press conference that it is easier to create travel bubbles with MICE events.
“It is easier to deal with groups rather than opening this (Bohol tourism) to mass tourism,” the governor bared.
Currently, the provincial government is working with tourism sector stakeholders and health experts to craft the guidelines to ensure the smooth and safe reopening of the tourism industry, which will start in Panglao town.
He clarified that there is no plan to reopen the tourism industry in the entire province. He wants the tourism reopening process to be slow but sure.
For this reason, there will be a bubble within the Bohol bubble and the first bubble will be in Panglao only for MICE events, he added.
During the regular press conference, he told those who attended the Zoom meeting that he explained to the Bohol mayors the plan of the provincial government to slowly but surely open Bohol’s tourism industry.
NEED TO REOPEN TOURISM
There is a pressing need to reopen the tourism industry as a way to revive Bohol’s sagging economy impacted by the pandemic.
In a statement a few weeks ago, Yap revealed that Bohol’s economy lost P10 billion while at least 200,000 Boholanos lost their jobs or livelihood.
In a televised live interview aired over People’s Television (PTV) aired on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2020, Presidential Communications Operations Office Chief Sec. Martin Andanar asked Yap about the steps being taken towards local economic recovery.
Yap explained to Andanar during the said interview that Bohol’s top twp (2) economic drivers are overseas Filipino worker (OFW) remittances and the tourism industry. Both are badly hit by the effects of the pandemic.
In the same interview, Yap quoted the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) about 200,000 OFWs who are expected to return to the country, which would mean remittances will be affected.
Furthermore, Yap said that Bohol tourism is currently restricted causing a huge impact to the local economy.
He told Andanar that government could no longer afford to provide relief assistance or dole outs. This is the reason, the governor said, there is a need to reopen the tourism industry and ignite the re-start of the Bohol economy.
The governor briefed Andanar about some facets of unified protocols that will be used once the tourism industry reopens.
He added that all visitors will follow a strictly planned itinerary.
Everything and every place a tourist visits in Bohol once the tourism industry opens will be planned, the governor explained.