Bohol provincial officials are moving to regulate tour packages to protect tourists from illegitimate operators and ensure price transparency, a tourism official said Thursday.
Joanne Pinat, officer-in-charge of the Bohol Provincial Tourism Office, announced the plan following a tourism summit Nov. 28, 2025 at the Panglao Cultural Center. Stakeholders attended the meeting to address issues affecting the industry.
“Regulating tour packages is needed to maintain the integrity of the industry and to ensure safeguards for tourists,” Pinat said.
She added that packages should be transparent and affordable to protect the tourism industry, a primary economic driver for the province.
The move would standardize prices across major destinations and shut down unregistered tour operators.
In a related news, a tourism stakeholder said Taiwanese tour operators have closed the Bohol market following the province’s ban on whale shark interactions.
Elvieh Sarmiento, a Bohol tourism industry player, told radio that packages for Taiwanese tourists centered on whale shark activities.
Earlier this year, Gov. Aris Aumentado signed an executive order closing whale shark interactions in the towns of Dauis, Albur and Lila after an ordinance prohibited feeding the animals.
Sarmiento said Taiwanese visitors, who replaced Chinese nationals as key tourists, were “the local tourism’s bread and butter.”
However, few Taiwanese tourists visit Bohol, with most preferring Vietnam.
Despite the Taiwanese market closure, Korean and European tourist arrivals are increasing, according to industry observers.
Meanwhile, aPanglao resort manager defended the island’s pricing structure in response to social media complaints about high costs.
Rommel Gonzalez said affordable options remain available, particularly in the Alona Beach area of barangay Tawala.
While acknowledging that five-star accommodations are expensive, he said budget travelers have choices.
“It would be unwise to complain about high prices when it is known that high-end accommodations are indeed pricey,” Gonzalez said.
Some social media users complained about seafood and food prices in Panglao, with reports of items costing up to P3,000 pesos per kilogram.
Gonzalez said prices follow market forces and supply-and-demand principles.
The government cannot impose price controls except on basic commodities, he added.
He said backpackers and budget travelers can find affordable accommodations and eat at local eateries called carenderias.
The complaints come from few people seeking to make content viral on social media, he said.