Bohol First District Representative Rene L. Relampagos, Chair of the House Committee on Tourism, expressed jubilation over the remarkable increase of tourist arrivals in Bohol.

“What we are right now, we owe to the strong cooperation among different sectors in the province including the provincial government, local government units, private sector, NGOs, religious sector, among others,” Relampagos stressed.

According to the Department of Tourism (DOT), tourist arrival in Bohol as well as in other provinces in the region has increased by 15 percent, which translates to 4 million foreign and local tourists, starting August to December last year. Resorts, particularly in Panglao, confirmed the influx of tourists during the last six months of 2014.

The attractiveness of Bohol as a destination was confirmed with the recent hosting of the 9th United Nations World Trade Organization (UNWTO) executive training. DOT Secretary Ramon Jimenez personally flew to Bohol to welcome the delegates coming from 19 different countries who attended the four-day conference at South Palms-Panglao. Rep. Relampagos also cited that theQuota Club International, Inc. held its First Joint Regional Meeting on April 23-25, 2015 at the Bellevue Resort and Hotel, Panglao Island. He said, “We are gaining recognition as a destination of international and local conferences and seminars. Let us bank on this and make Bohol available for the MICE (meetings, initiatives, conferences and education) Program of DOT to lure tourism activities in the country.”

He added, “There are still some areas in Bohol yet to be developed. Right now, the restoration of historical structures and churches that were heavily damaged by the massive earthquake that hit the province are being aggressively pursued. I am positive that with the continued cooperation among various sectors and support of the national government on our rehabilitation efforts and tourism promotion, Bohol will continue to shine as one of the leading and most favorite tourist destinations in the country.”

“More than anything else, we take pride in the natural charm and beauty of our province and the hospitality and resilience of Boholanos. We’ve experienced the worst that nature can throw at us but we were able to recover from the crisis with the help of people from different parts of the country and from different nations,” Relampagos concluded.