Whale shark watching operators in Albur town are targeting a November reopening, Mayor Don Ritchie Buates said, as Bohol’s tourism sector continues to grapple with an arrivals slump tied in part to last year’s provincewide shutdown of the activity.
Buates said the Bohol Capitol has set November as the target month for whale shark interactions to resume in Albur, provided operators comply with a local ordinance regulating the activity.
The town council has scheduled a public hearing on the ordinance to finalize guidelines, and operators have begun securing the required permits, he said.
The mayor said the closure has cost the town tourism revenue decrease.
Gov. Aris Aumentado shut down whale shark watching in Lila, Alburquerque and Dauis in February 2025 through Executive Order No. 10 after an inter-agency team found operators were illegally feeding the animals with krill in violation of Provincial Ordinance No. 2020-008.
The ban, which the provincial government paired with P5.3 million in aid to affected workers, has coincided with a collateral downturn in visitor arrivals to Bohol.
Provincial tourism officials have reported a roughly 30% drop in South Korean arrivals in the first half of 2025 compared with the previous year, with some resorts catering to that market reporting declines of up to 70%.
Local officials and industry figures have cited multiple factors behind the slowdown, including the whale shark closure, rising travel costs, higher airport terminal fees and broader regional shifts in Korean travel patterns toward destinations such as Vietnam.
The Bohol Provincial Board has since passed the Enhanced Sustainable Marine Wildlife Interaction Ordinance, updating the 2020 rules with stricter safeguards, including no-feeding provisions, minimum-distance requirements between tourists and whale sharks, and zoning restrictions, as the province moves toward reopening the activity under tighter oversight.
With new rules in place, Albur officials are hoping the reopening will help revive local livelihoods while protecting the whale sharks.
Tourism stakeholders in Bohol are looking to the November reopening of whale shark watching to help reverse the province’s arrivals slump.
In the meantime, hotels and resorts are offering discounted rates and added services to attract visitors.
Doer Escoto, president of the Bohol Association of Hotels, Resorts and Restaurants, said tourism will get a boost once whale shark watching resumes under the new regulatory framework balancing tourism and environmental protection.
Escoto said the industry is working to draw both foreign and local travelers, and pointed to a recent travel expo that opened new marketing opportunities for the province, bringing promotions closer to markets with stronger travel demand and raising awareness of Bohol’s attractions.
Escoto acknowledged continued softness in arrivals but said the expo and other marketing efforts could help shore up demand.
With whale shark watching set to return, tourism stakeholders said they expect visitor numbers to recover as the province heads into the final months of the year.