The town of Panglao is in need of more accommodations which can be offered to both local and foreign tourists amid the projected local tourism boom driven by the impending shutdown of Boracay Island, the country’s premier beach destination, said an official.

According to Mayette Gasatan of the Panglao Island Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PICCI), there would be a shortage of adequate lodging in the occasion of a sudden spike in tourist influx during the next months.

There are currently at least 3,000 rooms in registered hotels and resorts including small inns in Panglao.

Most of these establishments are already almost full, Gatasan said.

There had also been instances in the past wherein all of the resorts and hotels in the town were fully-booked, including in recent weeks after summertime in the country officially started, she added.

The PICCI and other tourism stakeholders are also wary of shortage in accommodation after the New Panglao Bohol Airport becomes operational.

The facility is expected to start catering to both local and international flights in August this year.

However, Gasatan said that several large investors have recently started to build new resorts while some existing lodging establishments are undergoing expansion.

She also said that promotions of other tourist destinations in the province should be improved to help decongest the resort town of Panglao.

In an earlier statement, Department of Tourism (DOT) Central Visayas director Shalimar Hofer Tamano said that Bohol should prepare for an increase in tourist arrivals

Tamano issued the statement after DOT Secretary Corazon Wanda Teo pinpointed Bohol and Cebu as alternatives to Boracay.

The regional director also called for the creation of more accommodation options and improvement of security in the province as part of preparations.

President Duterte however earlier ordered the closure of Boracay for only six months for the resort island’s rehabilitation. (A. Doydora)