Province poised as regional hub with New Bohol airport

Bohol is fast rising as one of the top tourist destinations in the country, if not within Asia, and an improvement in the operations of its so-called “green gateway to the world” ー the new Bohol-Panglao International Airport, which was inaugurated in November last year ー would be a big boost to its tourism industry.

Bohol Tourism Office Head Josephine R. Cabarrus is optimistic a fresh approach to airport management and operation is a welcome strategy to make the airport  at par with other international airports.

With the prospect of tourist arrivals doubling this year, Cabarrus said airport services should be elevated to international standards. “Learning from how the Tagbilaran airport was managed, we know there are things to be improved. If you say that you have an international facility, then you should have an international-level service,” she stressed.

According to an airport consultant, Tourism in Bohol has grown at an impressive annual rate of 25.2% from 2011 to 2017, and by 30% from 2016 to 2017 to reach an estimate of 1.3m tourists. Panglao is the most popular tourist destination in Bohol and had 704,000 tourists in 2017.

The New Bohol airport will be instrumental in the development of the island’s tourism industry. Cabarrus said the new airport is poised to bring in more warm bodies from outside of the country. “We’re looking at Bohol-Panglao airport to be a game changer for the economy of not only Panglao, but of the whole province.”

According to Cabarrus, an offshoot of a flourishing tourism industry is increased job generation from the construction, retail, food, and transportation sectors. “We have been trying to develop tourism areas and get the people out of Panglao and to other travel destinations in Bohol,” she noted, adding this will create an economy even for small businesses which cater to both local and foreign visitors

Furthermore, Cabarrus claimed the limiting runway at the old Tagbilaran airport is a factor of non-competitive airfares to and from Bohol, which hamper its full potential as tourist destination.

“For the longest time, we have been at the mercy of very expensive airfares. For instance, a one-way trip between Manila and Bohol at peak season can be around PHP8,000 to PHP10,000. [It’s] almost the same fare [rate] to Hong Kong. We’re hoping that with the operation of the new airport, the fares could be lower due to supply and demand,” she said.

The new Bohol-Panglao International Airport, which is ten times bigger than the old Tagbilaran airport, boasts of a 2,500-meter runway that can accommodate seven aircraft at one given time and a passenger terminal that can handle around two million people annually. With sustained growth expected, the new airport could require expansion as early as 2025. #