From The Editor’s Desk

Bohol, considered by many as a “model” province for eco–tourism, is growing fast. It has been a while since I was last here and the changes are dramatic, especially on Panglao Island. Panglao Island now hosts some of the finest beach resorts in the country, with a few being considered five–star by anybody’s standards.

The concept of eco–tourism and its implementation is a subject that creates much discussion amongst academics and tourists alike. In some places it has received bad press, as the prefix “eco” is used for anything that involves exploitation of natural resources, often resulting in the depletion of those resources. True eco–tourism is community based, uses but does not abuse natural resources, shuns the use of non–indigenous resources and educates the visitor to also respect the natural environment within the area.

Our journey through Bohol started in the seemingly sleepy municipality of Maribojoc where, somewhat unexpectedly, kayaking is at the forefront of an eco–tourism revolution. Less than 30 minutes from Tagbilaran Airport, Maribojoc is uniquely located at the mouth of the Abatan River and the community has embraced kayaking and river boating as the best opportunity for alternative livelihood through eco–tourism development.

From Maribojoc we traveled North to Cabilao (Loon), Danao and Catigbian where we found extreme adventure sports intermingled with eco–friendly tourism activities. Everywhere on Bohol Island, it seemed, the meaning and philosophy of eco–tourism has taken root, with some surprising consequences.

We finally ensconced ourselves in the southwest corner of Panglao Island, where not–so–eco but definitely friendly boutique beach resorts & “luxury” hotels are sprouting in place of the forest they have depleted, anticipating the arrival of the definitely non–eco–friendly international airport, slated for completion (maybe) in 2014.

Balancing the desire to attract & deliver increased tourism numbers without compromising the reasons why those tourists wish to visit is a global challenge, typically understood best by those who have operated enterprises in an area for the longest time. In the case of Panglao, the established enterprises have no objection to increased tourist numbers but they site noise pollution and Panglao Island’s barely adequate water resources, sewage treatment, poor transport & power distribution infrastructure, as specific reasons to locate the sorely needed expanded airport on Bohol Island and not on Panglao Island.

Similarly, as the demand for land available for tourist development rapidly exceeds supply – unless you remove all of the farms & native forests – the municipality of Panglao is contemplating “reclaiming” a vast swath of tidal shallows, currently mostly home to sea–grasses and the critters that munch on them, at the extreme west of the island. The suggestion is that this will provide new land for development without impacting the limited arable and natural forest areas. However, as the one suggesting reclaiming the land is planning to use virtually all of it to create an exclusive beach leisure facility and golf course, it is hard to imagine how this destruction will benefit anyone but the developer.

For the most part, Panglao Island has got the eco–friendly part wrong whilst Bohol Island has mostly got it right . . . at least for now.

When it comes to water sports, which are generally eco–friendly, both Bohol and Panglao islands offer one of the widest selections in the Visayan region and the really neat thing is that everywhere is within a couple of hours’ travel from Tagbilaran City Airport. If you want maximum variety with minimum travel then Bohol / Panglao makes a fantastic choice for a vacation . . . or an investment.