Beautiful but unreachable
Bohol’s tourism industry is just starting to bounce back with the influx of both local and foreign tourists in recent months.
It is a good problem when you see the resorts in Panglao and other parts of the province post their personnel need after almost two years of closure or operating at a loss.
But as the inspiring development unfolded in Bohol’s tourism industry, a viral post from a netizen on Facebook called out the alleged overpricing of food in Virgin Island, Panglao. A group of 13 tourists was charged P26,100.00 for the seafood, fruit, and drinks they ordered. It is like having a buffet in an expensive hotel in Manila which has to charge a higher amount to recover the cost of amenities. In Virgin Island, the austere grandeur of nature does not cost a single centavo of capital outlay.
The exposé does not shock the Boholanos, who continue to endure the high cost of commodities in the province. While Cebu City is reported as Asia’s 60th ‘most expensive city to live in’ in 2022, Bohol is on the horizon. When the already expensive seafood, fruit, and drinks are brought to an enchanting island and offered to tourists, the beauty of nature becomes an anesthetic to the pain of losing their money.
The tourism industry thrives on the overall experience of its patrons. We are proud to have awe-inspiring natural wonders all around the province. But tourism is not just about attraction. There are 6A’s that determine the success of a tourism brand like Bohol, and these are attraction, activities, accessibility, accommodation, amenities, and affordability. And the ‘A’ that is very important to attract tourists to the destination is affordability.
Bohol may have the 5A’s, but when affordability is frowned upon, the brand becomes beautiful but unreachable. Government authorities must do something to ensure that Bohol will have a sustainable tourism industry.
The viral post is not an isolated incident. There could be many, and we need to be sensitive to these complaints since these are telltale signs that we are pricing the Bohol tourism brand out of business. When the market punishes the greedy, it will be worst than the current pandemic.