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The stunning Chocolate Hills on the island of Bohol in the Philippines. Plans are in place to develop the island for tourism sensitively, and to avoid mistakes made in other Southeast Asian destinations. Photo: Alamy

Undiscovered Bohol in Philippines eyes sustainable tourism development as new airport set to bring surge in visitors

  • Famous for its karst Chocolate Hills and tarsier primate, Bohol, the Philippines’ 10th largest island, has not been on the radar of most foreign visitors
  • Plans are in place to ensure the development of tourist resorts and infrastructure is environmentally friendly and avoids the errors of Boracay and Mactan, Cebu
Asia travel

In the wake of mass-tourism disasters that sparked the temporary closure of holiday hotspots, one Southeast Asian destination is taking sustainability seriously in a bid to protect its future: the Philippine island of Bohol.

The Philippines’ 10th largest island, Bohol remains unknown to most foreign visitors to the Philippines, who tend to skip straight to Manila, Boracay, Palawan and nearby Cebu.

However, this is slated to change. The opening in November 2018 of Bohol-Panglao International Airport – it welcomed its first international charter flight, from Hong Kong, in October 2019 – is predicted to bring a rise in visitors, and the government has designated part of Bohol a tourism enterprise zone, one of 15 across the country intended to be developed sensitively.

While the island prepares for a tourism boom, its residents are keen to ensure it does not become a victim of its own success.

An aerial view of Balicasag Island in Bohol. Photo: Alamy

“We do not want to be another Boracay,” says my tour guide, Cecile Visarra, during a recent five-day visit. I was keen to discover some of the eco-tourism initiatives Bohol wants to be known for.

In 2018 Boracay was closed to tourists for six months because of environmental concerns, and Thailand’s Maya Bay remains off-limits until 2021. Players in Bohol’s tourism industry want to avoid making the same mistakes, and to position the island as a sustainability champion that offers a blueprint for the future development of tourism.
Tourism can bring a lot of good to the island, but if we do not manage it properly then what makes Bohol so special will be destroyed
Cecile Visarra, Bohol tour guide

The Panglao Bay Premiere zone takes in one of the island’s prime diving spots, spanning 106 hectares (262 acres) with a 750-metre (2,460-feet) stretch of beach. The government has put out a call for developers for a range of projects. Incentives include tax breaks for environmentally friendly investors.

It’s easy to see why islanders would want to protect Bohol’s natural treasures. The island spans 3,269 sq km and boasts a 261km coastline speckled with long stretches of powdery white sand; its warm, greenish-blue waters are ideal for diving. Inland, Bohol is a colourful mosaic of rolling hills, rugged mountains, and rice paddies.

The province of Bohol takes in a further 71 small islands, including idyllic Panglao. The 91 sq km island off the southwest of Bohol is connected to the main island by a small bridge, and is likely to attract many of the additional visitors Bohol expects.

A beautiful sunset at Panglao, Bohol. Photo: Alamy

“Tourism can bring a lot of good to the island, but if we do not manage it properly then what makes Bohol so special will be destroyed,” warns Visarra, who has been a tour guide for two decades, during our one-hour drive through pitch darkness to enjoy the sunrise at Chocolate Hills.

Sleep – or the lack of it, due to my 4am start – tugs at my eyes as we pull into a small car park. As we step out of the vehicle, the first rays of daylight push from the horizon. Like magic, beams of red and orange pierce the darkness, revealing one of the world’s most extraordinary, and beautiful, natural landscapes.

Rising from a carpet of mist are 1,776 hills; green, orange and yellow hues melt into the horizon. These are the Chocolate Hills – conical limestone karsts. Geologists say they are the product of tectonic shifts and millions of years of erosion. Islanders have their own theories about them. Visarra shares her favourite one.

Bohol’s natural beauty remains unknown to most foreign visitors, but this is about to change. Photo: Alamy

Legend has it that a young giant, Arogo, fell in love with the mortal Aloya and that when she died was so consumed with grief he could not stop crying; his dried-up tears formed the Chocolate Hills.

Despite the number of hills – the tallest rises to 120 metres – they can only be seen from viewing decks at The Chocolate Hills Complex in Carmen and Sagbayan Peak in Sagbayan. We opted for Carmen, as it offers the best 360-degree views. Despite it being a prime spot to watch the sunrise, even by 7.30am we were still the only people there to enjoy it.

On our way to meet Bohol’s shyest resident, the tarsier, we drive through Bohol Forest, feeling the pinch of cool air that hovers beneath a thick canopy of trees.

Bohol is home to the tarsier, the world’s second-smallest primate. Photo: Alamy

The 2km stretch of man-made forest is evidence that Bohol residents have been working with nature for decades. For years the area was plagued by deadly landslides caused by heavy monsoons. In the 1960s, local authorities planted a forest on the slopes to serve as a water buffer.

They first planted coconut groves, but their shallow roots proved useless. The answer lay in the forest of sturdy mahogany that stands today. “Mahogany is always thirsty,” says Visarra, pointing to the gnarled web of roots that consume the forest floor.

After driving past long stretches of rice paddies and through quaint rural towns, we arrive at the Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary in Corella. The world’s second-smallest primates, the animals are no more than 15cm (6 inches) long and weigh between 80 and 160 grams. One of several species of tarsier, the Philippine tarsier, is native to the southeastern Philippines.

Rated near-threatened by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, they have a tendency to commit suicide when stressed – by banging their head against something hard or holding their breath for too long. This tendency, low birth rates, exploitative tourism and habitat destruction threaten their survival. The latest population count was in 2011, when their number was estimated at between 5,000 and 10,000, according to the International Primate Protection League. Conservationists believe this number has since fallen.

The sanctuary, operated by the Philippine Tarsier Foundation, has been working since 1996 to protect the bug-eyed primates’ natural habitat while carrying out conservation work to boost their population on Bohol.

Our small group of visitors is sternly instructed to remain quiet, follow our guide carefully and give the animals plenty of space during our 10-minute tour of a small section of protected forest which a handful of tarsiers call home.

As we step quietly along a trail, our guide occasionally lets out a whisper. He carefully parts a cluster of leaves to reveal a member of the fluffy species, whose eyes are bigger than their brains, clinging motionless to branches above.

The powdery white sands and turquoise waters of Panglao Island. Photo: Alamy

A few hours later, Visarra takes me to Bohol Bee Farm on Panglao Island, where I find myself clutching a honey frame teeming with bees that are, thankfully, more focused on their job than on me. The farm produces organic fruit and vegetables, baked goods and a range of honey-based products.

While the agro-tourism project makes for a fun, educational visit, it’s soon evident that Visarra came for the delightfully creamy organic ice-cream produced there.

At South Palms Resort Panglao, overlooking powdery white sands set off by startling turquoise waters, I learn about the property’s next phase of development. It is due to open in 2022 near the current South Palms, and already long-term water-conservation solutions, including creating a large reservoir, are under way.

Bohol can learn from other Philippine beach destinations, such as Mactan in Cebu or Boracay, which have become stereotypical mono-destination brands that have little to do with local elements
Hope Uy, South Palms Resort Panglao managing director

Leading sustainable-development consultancy XCO2 is helping design the extension to the resort, and South Farm is being developed nearby to provide farm-to-table ingredients, which will be delivered to the resort’s restaurants by electric vehicles, as well as educational guest experiences.

The resort project will also support tarsier and manta ray conservation.

“Bohol can learn from other Philippine beach destinations, such as Mactan in Cebu or Boracay, which have become stereotypical mono-destination brands that have little to do with local elements,” says Hope Uy, managing director of South Palms Resort Panglao, who was born and raised on Bohol.

As hoteliers hungrily eye up the Philippines’ next tourism destination – and its mangroves, rare animals, coral reefs teeming with marine life, and waters where humpback whales and dolphins are common – one can only hope she is right.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Making a clean getaway
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