Pandemic-fueled summer blues

A beach in Barangay Bolod in Panglao town, Bohol, normally a site teeming with tourists, has instead been filled with a handful locals who enjoy the pristine and white sandy beach. Photo:  Leo Udtohan

Normally at this time of year, the beaches on Panglao Island, the crown jewel of Bohol tourism, would have been a site teeming with tourists.. 

Hotels and resorts would have been fully booked. Restaurants would have been fully open and its white beaches are populated by Chinese and some Europeans eager for some warmth after a winter.

Instead, the beach is almost empty.

In Bohol, a province heavily reliant on tourism, the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdown has affected the tourism and hospitality industry.  

For businesswoman Anecita Nerves-Arcay, patience is a virtue — especially when facing in a crisis. 

Her only wish this year is that she will finally open her hotel on Panglao Island in Bohol province. She was set to inaugurate her five-story ARC Homes at Barangay Poblacion in Panglao town on March 26 last year, but the coronavirus pandemic hit the country, forcing provinces to close their borders and restrict the movement of people to prevent the spread of the highly contagious disease. 

"2020 was unpredictable. It was difficult and sudden," Arcay said.

Although Bohol fully reopened its doors to tourists in December, Arcay decided to wait because there were only a few visitors coming in, as people take a wait-and-see attitude with the health crisis still raging.

“We needed to make sure our business is sustainable in this new market with special protocols put in place to ensure the safety and well-being of guests. If we see numbers [of tourists] go up this year, we can start to operate,” she said.

She also reduced the rental fee for her tenants in a commercial building she owns to cope with the pandemic as unemployment numbers jumped along with the COVID-19 case numbers.

After a year, Arcay is hopeful that her hotel can cater to tourists soon.

Panglao has at least 4,753 rooms in different resorts, hotels and related establishments.

Tourism companies are desperately scrambling for ways to minimize their losses and survive the harsh pandemic.

On Alona Beach in Barangay Tawala, some resorts, cafes and restaurants are still closed. The busi­ness cen­ter in Alona is so quiet that cats slept on ta­bles of shut­tered cafés.

Some es­tab­lish­ments at­tempted to open but only to close down af­ter a few days due to low sales and high op­er­at­ing cost, es­pe­cially with the need to strictly com­ply with health pro­to­cols. 

“No one is com­ing. A few lo­cals come oc­ca­sion­ally,” said a café owner.

In Barangay Bolod which has at least six beach resorts only three are operating.  The beaches here are filled with few local residents only Saturdays and Sundays. 

Habal-habal (motorcycle taxi) driver Dave Rulona, 40, still finds himself without passengers because of the drop of tourist arrivals. He said most guests from Tagbilaran  come in their own cars.

Before COVID-19, he charges P120 from Panglao to Tagbilaran.  Now he charges P200, an increase of P50 from the pre-COVID rate because habal-habal drivers are allowed only one passenger per trip. Yet still, some still find themselves without passengers.

Bohol Governor Arthur Yap bared that Bohol province lost P15 billion on revenues during the last eight months of the community quarantine. Monthly, the industry loses some P308 million in room accommodation in Panglao.

When Bohol closed its borders last March 2020, most resorts followed suit, forcing many hospitality workers to return home with uncertain job prospects.

The pandemic has also affected some 200,000 tourism industry workers and 40 % of them lost their jobs.  Some establishments retrenched their workers. Others were given two or three days to work if the resort has long-term staying guests. 

Tourism workers who lost their jobs shifted to fishing. Some augment their income by planting vegetables. But most sur­vived on “ayuda,” or fi­nan­cial and food aid from gov­ern­ment agen­cies, although these were not enough to sus­tain their fam­i­lies.

The pandemic also paralysed those in Jagna and Anda towns which lured tourists alike by its pristine beaches, villa hideaways and marine life.

Marjun Precones, proprietor of Jagna Rock Resort in Barangay Larapan in Jagna town, opened his resort under the new normal even with a handful tourists. He said before the pandemic, tourists came to his resort to chill and relax since beaches in Panglao were crowded. 

Tourism makes up 15% of Bohol economic output. Bo­hol hosted 1.5 mil­lion for­eign and do­mes­tic tourists in 2019, with Chi­nese visi­tors lead­ing the ar­rivals, fol­lowed by Kore­ans, records from the Bo­hol Tourism Of­fice showed.

These tourists dis­ap­peared when prov­inces started clos­ing their bor­ders as strict quar­an­tine guide­lines had to be fol­lowed in March 2020 in a bid to con­trol the spread of COVID-19.

Anthony Ceniza, resort supervisor of Marilou Resort and businesswoman Anecita Arcay. Contributed Photo

In 2020, there were 85,000 tourists from January to February 2020 before the lockdown.

Tourism leaders are trying everything they can to revive lagging business in the industry.

In September 2020, Bohol hosted the Philippine Travel Exchange (PHITEX), and it highlighted the preparedness of the island of Panglao to host group events, especially with its adherence to the health safety guidelines authorized by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF).

In November 2020, Bohol reopened to local visitors arriving by plane, ending the travel ban in hopes of reviving a lockdown-devastated tourism industry that has fed so many Boholanos who are working in the different tourism services.

Since the reopening, there were 1,275 tourists who came to Bohol from November 15, 2020 to January 31, 2021 in the travel bubble concept.

By tourist bubble concept, it means that a COVID-19 negative tourist has to stay together with his group, travel only on travels organized by a DOT-accredited tour operator on board a DOT-accredited transport provider, and go to tours only in designated stops, never veering away from their established itinerary.

BTO said from November 15 to December 14, there were 184 local tourists came to attend meetings, incentives, conventions and conferences, and exhibits (MICE) and events.

A few days later, following the same concept, Bohol again issued the same to free and independent travellers, there were 389 tourists who came from December 15 to December 31,2020.

This dry season, struggling resorts and hotels have offered discounted room rates and promos in hopes of persuading frazzled parents and stressed-out workers to come to Panglao for a mini getaway.

The Roman Empire Boutique and Wellness Hotel in Barangay Tawala offered 90% discount room rates which include free breakfast and use of their Olympic-size swimming pool to fill their 80 rooms.  

“It was just to inform everyone that we are alive,” said Roldan Cuevas, manager.  He hopes the promotion can be effective in boosting visitation.   

While room rates aren’t deeply discounted at Marilou Resort in Barangay Bolod, they are typically lower than those on the weekends.  

"It's not going to be a profitable year, but we're just trying to balance the losses," said Anthony Ceniza, the resort supervisor.

Ceniza is optimistic, but understands that international travellers would have fear having to socially distance.  As of this time, he focuses on domestic tourists.

"It's going to be an amazing experience this year for people that choose Panglao because it won't be so busy. They will experience better customer service,” said Ceniza.

The provincial government with Department of Tourism (DOT) launched the “Balik sa Bohol” program, backed by the campaign motto “Balik sa Bohol (Come Back to Bohol).”

The “Balik sa Bohol” online sale which gave 70% tour discount for at least two weeks participated in by 13 resorts, hotels and tourism accommodation establishments, one adventure park, and six local tour operators.  All have earned their DOT Certificates of Authority to Operate, or the local government permits and each holder of the Ultimate Bohol Experience (UBE) seal.

Bo­hol still strug­gles to re­main afloat even if it has re­opened to visi­tors late last year.

It eased its entry protocols as part of efforts to resuscitate the province’s slumping tourism industry.

Starting March 1, tourists and returning residents can now visit Bohol and may no longer need to undergo quarantine.

Boholanos, whether locally stranded individuals (LSI) returning Overseas Filipinos and Workers (OFW), authorized persons outside residence (APOR) and even non-APOR local.

For tourists, they can present to Bohol a negative COVID-19 test result via an RT PCR test and the test should be taken 72 hours before flying to Bohol, present a confirmed hotel booking, and a registered Bohol Tourist QR Code.

Tourists to Bohol can travel to sites and destinations that have been granted by DOT the Certificate Authority to Operate, or LGU permitted and UBE Seal grantee from the provincial government, as long as they do not veer away from the tour itinerary provided by their DOT-accredited tour agent and travel only in designated areas.

Bohol has one of the lowest coronavirus infection rates in the country, with 3,882 confirmed cases and 54 deaths, according to the May 28, 2021  data from Bohol Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF). 

Cuevas said that Bohol wants the economy to get back to what it was before, but said some locals are worried that tourists might cause infections.  But he believes that Bohol is well-prepared for tourists.

"Just follow and respect the health protocols," he said.  “It remains to be seen how many tourists will want to come to Bohol.”

One who is excited to welcome tourists to Bohol is Helen Bagayas, 34, an on-call massage therapist. She goes occasionally to Panglao for home service. She has been offering Swedish massage and ventosa (cupping therapy) for tourists for the past years. She said it was good before Covid since she can earn enough. During the pandemic, she augments her income thru buy and sell of bags, perfume and dress.

Bagayas, a mother of five, said she is praying Bohol’s tourism will bounce back.    

“We are like bamboo. Although we can be knocked down by life, tough times and challenges, just like the bamboo, we bend and far more flexible. We can come back stronger than ever through patience, strength and determination,” said Bagayas.

Arcay, on the other hand, said that while the pandemic is affecting the community in unprecedented ways, it has brought out a trait that is one of the most important qualities  for Boholanos – resilience.

“This time of patience will teach us to plan better and bounce back stronger than ever,” Arcay said. 

The pandemic won’t last forever and travels are anxious to hit the road when it is deemed to be safe.

Meanwhile, the winds in the end of summer make people become restless.

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