Negative publicity, power woes hamper tourism in Bohol town

CEBU, Philippines - Resort owners in the municipality of Anda, Bohol lamented on the aftermath of the series of calamities that recently hit the country in the past few weeks, paralyzing the tourism industry with several cancellations from potential customers due to negative publicity and loss of electricity.

Mary Grace De Wijn, owner of Anda White Beach Resort, shared that her business suffered from a 50-percent decline in terms of bookings and guest arrivals after the 7.2-magnitude quake and super typhoon Yolanda struck successively.

She cited that they used to enjoy catering to 300 to 500 tourists during peak season before. She said that they thought that such positive performance would continue as they usually had 30 people booked in a day in the past months.

Anda White Beach Resort sits on a half-hectare property at Barangay Bacong, Sitio Dagohoy in Anda, Bohol. It started its operations in 2007 but was formally opened in 2009. Known to be a place for relaxation, it also features other sports activities such as snorkeling, kayaking, and boat riding.

Majority of its guests is comprised of Europeans, American and Australian while ten percent of its customers are Asians.

De Wijn shared that the European market, in particular, are high-spending and long-staying tourists. They regularly stay in a resort from three days to two weeks.

She raised the concern of most of the resort owners on the unstable supply of power, causing them to pour higher amount of  investment as what they have expected.

Although they have a generator, she said that they have to limit the operating time or else, they have to spend more. Anda White Beach Resort has generated electricity starting from 5 pm to 10:30 am.

“It is better than nothing,” she said.

De Wijn also complained on the negative publicity in typhoon-hit areas particularly in Tacloban City and other parts of Leyte that actually hamper the interest of the international tourist market to come to Bohol.

“Most of the travelers knew what happened in those areas that is why, they won’t go back here.  They are thinking Bohol is the same but we have to show that Bohol is safe and is back to normal,” she said.

She said that bearing the accreditation from the Department of Tourism serves as a positive thing for Anda White Beach Resort since the government agency is helping the resort promote its good condition to the tourist market after the calamities.

Once they could completely recover, she said that additional rooms will be made available next year to house more guests. Anda White Beach Resort has a total of ten rooms with a standard rate of  P4 200.

Amun Ini Beach Resort and Spa director Federico Carmona echoed the same sentiments as De Wijn, saying that they also have received several guest cancellations from both international and local tourists all the way up to the New Year celebration.

“It’s starting to hurt us. It is hurting us,” he said. Carmona was in his resort when the strong earthquake and typhoon happened.

He urged the government to address the challenges of the tourism industry which includes infrastructure, airport, ferry services and unreliable water supply.

“I hope that the government, particularly the provincial government, now has seen the Achilles’ heel of Bohol. Our major economic driver here is tourism,” he said.

Just like other tourism stakeholders, he said that Bohol badly needs steady power supply to address the electrical issues in the province.

Carmona said that it is painful to spend P10 000 for gasoline in a day just to fuel the generator of the resort which is specifically bought for standby purposes.

He added that it may be also time to consider putting up a power plant in Bohol, may it be diesel, coal or nuclear.

For now, he said that they have to double the marketing efforts and sustain all the losses of the resort. He admitted that he remains hopeful to finally recover next year. He said he did not have to remodel his business just to cope with the challenges since it might create financial dislocation for his employees.

Amun Ini Beach Resort and Spa has been operating for two years and employs 27 workers to date.

The DOT-accredited resort is located in Barangay Candabong in the municipality of  Anda. The four-hectare tourist site is popularly branded as a getaway and diving destination.

It recently opened a dive shop as an additional facility. It also features a two-bed massage center and an infinity pool. He further revealed that they are planning to arrange picnics for the guests and will be putting up villas soon.

It houses 16 rooms with a standard rate of US$ 250 that is good for two persons inclusive of ala carte breakfast and local taxes.

DOT Central Visayas Director Rowena Montecillo earlier said that they are closely coordinating with the Department of Energy to fast track the restoration of power in quake-hit areas in Bohol.

In earlier reports, most areas in Bohol province still suffer from the lack of electricity with transmission lines and power facilities are still down. /JMD (FREEMAN)