Bohol has proved to be a destination to behold in again emerging best in the 25th Philippine Travel Mart (PTM), effectively boosting its market bid in the global travel and tour exposition in Cambodia this week. The Bohol pavilion highlighting new tourism magnets grabbed the “Best Booth Award,” the second in a row for the province after winning the same in last year's edition of the country's foremost showcase of sights and leisure. Gov. Edgar Chatto personally marketed local tourism as he joined the Bohol delegation to the PTM at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia in Pasay City on September 5-7. He is flying today to Cambodia's capital and largest city, Phnom Penh, where the Philippines will spotlight the island-province in the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Travel Mart 2014 starting on Wednesday, September 17.

The PATA event at the Diamond Island Convention & Exhibition Centre in Phnom Penh does serve as a launching pad in Asia of the Department of Tourism (DOT) campaign for 2015 as the Visit the Philippines Year (VPY), said Chatto who is a former congressional committee chairman. The winning Bohol pavilion in this year's PMT had an underwater theme featuring Anda, an emerging beach jewel, plus a replica of the adrenalin-rushing bike zip of the Chocolate Hills Adventure Park (CHAP) in Carmen, home to the rare and wondrous land moles. Anda's powdery white beaches coupled with the relative rusticity and virginity of the place are among Bohol's nice spots that have begun gaining international acclaim. Presented and turned over by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) last May, the Bohol tourism recovery plan has highlighted the Anda peninsula as a “high value tourism paradise with the finest white sand in the world to be enjoyed by young and old.” According to the Bohol Tourism Office (BTO), the Philippine Travel Mart, now on its 25th year, is a major platform promoting domestic tourism organized by the Philippine Association of Tour Operators (PHILTOA).

With the DOT under Sec. Ramon Jimenez in full support, the PTM silver year presentation showcased the hottest and surfacing destinations in the country. The Bohol pavilion bested other top destinations, including Palawan, Ilocos Sur, Albay and Muslim Mindanao, although a South Cotabato booth got the PMT People's Choice Award and Best Booth Award in municipal category. Chatto congratulated the whole Bohol entry, with notable mention of Anda thru Mayor Metodio Amper and CHAP thru Jing Velasco for their special participation in having the Bohol booth achieved a two-peat in the PTM, also the country's biggest travel fair. Among the 25th PTM participants were seven exhibitors from the DOT, 29 tour operators, 124 hotels, resorts and theme parks, seven airlines and transport groups, 26 local government units, and 30 other industry service providers. The private sector in Bohol's PMT delegation was led by Provincial Tourism Council (PTC) chairman lawyer Lucas Nunag and included industry players who showcased such properties as the South Palms Resort, Amorita Resort, Bohol Beach Club, Amarela Resort, Bluewater Resort and Dumaluan Beach Resort.

The participating properties, which further included the Astoria, Bellevue Resort, Bohol Bee Farm, Flower Garden Resort, Loboc River Resort, Panglao Island Nature Resort and Hennan Resort, offered thru a “pasalamat sale” major discounts as low as 70%. The private sector also had Nonette Bolo, president of the Bohol Federation of Travel and Tour Operators (BOFETO), which is obsessed this early about Bohol to clinch a third straight title next year for a first-ever PTM Hall of Fame. From the government, the Chatto was joined by BTO chief Jo Cabarus, Provincial Board Member Venzencio Arcamo who chairs the Sangguniang Panlalawigan tourism committee, Provincial Administrator Alfonso Damalerio II and SEEM Cluster head Liza Quirog. Rep. Rene Relampagos, chairman of the House of Representatives tourism committee, keynoted the PTM event as also graced by DOT undersecretary and Philippine Tourism Promotions Board Chief Operating Officer Domingo Ramon Enerio III and PHILTOA President Caesar Cruz. Chattol told the PMT public that Bohol has a lot more new experiences to offer that include the wonder legacies of the record earthquake, which ruins have even transformed the province into a new geological and cultural heritage learning destination. The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will present to the UNESCO the establishment of Bohol as the first geo-sciences park in the Philippines during the global geo-sciences conference in Vietnam, Chatto had earlier announced.

CAMBODIA FAIR

In the PATA fair in Cambodia which is themed “A Journey to An Exotic Destination in Asia,” Bohol will be “market-tested” under its new tourism slogan “Behold Bohol,” a world-competitive rebranding aided by the global media icon CNN. Assisted by partners like the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) thru its Advancing Philippine Competitiveness (COMPETE) program, the aggressive fresh promotion and marketing tactic have been developed for Bohol to get the full attention it deserves. “Last year's earthquake brought us more opportunities than damage, actually. As a result, new tourism products have come to exist like the geological sites. Those who came to help us instead discovered that Bohol has so many beauties and treasurers to behold,” Chatto said. An industry roadmap, the Bohol tourism recovery plan has also been assisted by the PATA, DOT and UNWTO.

The country recorded 2.9 million visitors from January to July for a 2.2% growth rate and US$2.8 billion or P110 billion in tourism receipts for 7.5% increase as against the performance in the same period last year, according to DOT Usec. Alan Canizal. A CNN presentation has projected Bohol tourists, both domestic and international, to reach over 447,000 in 2016 at a growth pace of 4.7% from more than 389,000 last year. Chato said that in market-testing a rebranded Bohol during the Cambodia expo, these key messages must be clear, conveyed, and conveyed very clearly: Nothing has changed; Bohol means beautiful; beautiful place, beautiful people; there's more in Bohol. (Ven rebo Arigo)