BY:DONALD SEVILLA

THE FUTURE WE LOOK FORWARD TO

Our province is very blessed, with sun-drenched sandy beaches and lots of natural  beauty all around.

We are never wanting of places to go and enjoy. Bohol is a tourist’s paradise, but for how long?

Every now and then we come across complaints from visitors, foreign and locals alike, of overcharging  and exorbitant costs of just about everything.

From ordinary trike fares to van rentals, hotel accommodations and food, we are, embarrassingly true, darn expensive! 

Apart from being famous for our tourist attractions we are also notorious for being an expensive destination. It is cheaper to take a holiday abroad than in Panglao.

Yet, is this something we want to be known for?  While we want to attract more guests to our shores, it seems we are also driving them away if these things are left unchecked.

The health of our local economy is dependent on the tourism industry which sadly is volatile and affected oftentimes by factors beyond our control.

When the world economy hurts such as during a global financial crisis, tourism drops. When other countries issue adverse travel adversaries on us, tourist arrivals plummet.

Yet even without these external conditions happening, we are struggling internally to keep things sustainable.

With the recent elections over, we are hopeful that our leaders new and re-elected can get their acts together and buckle down to work. Much needs to be done if we are to survive in this competitive global environment.

Going the rounds in Panglao, our tourist island, one can observe that while there are still plenty of visitors, the numbers have slowly dwindled as seen by the drop in international flights.

Many establishments complain that they do not have enough guests to fill their rooms. While some may have captured the market more than the others, this does not paint a sustainable future for everyone.

We must protect our future by addressing the problems we now face before they overwhelm us. We don’t want to go the path of other places that have been rendered desolate and ruined by tourism .

Remember nowadays, people can just hop on a plane and travel to any new destination they fancy. We cannot afford to be holding the proverbial empty bag!

Love it!Very nice!These are great!