4│ Potentials and Challenges

Potentials

The small islands of Central possess the essential elements to become major ecotourism destinations.

Rich Natural Environment. The islands are endowed with natural environments that are rich, diverse and of exceptional quality. These natural settings are conserved by a system of protected areas such as national parks and marine sanctuaries.

Located in the ' Major Tourist Destinations. The Islands of Bantayan and Camotes in and the Island of President C.P. Garcia in are located in two of the fastest growing tourist destinations of the Philippines. In 2010, Cebu ranked number 3 and Bohol number 10 in number of tourist arrivals. Cebu and Bohol are projected to attain growth rates in tourist arrivals per year of 12.39 percent and 13.56 percent, respectively, up to 2016 (Department of Tourism, 2007).

Table 5. Tourist Volume in Major Destinations in the Philippines, 2009 and 2010

Total Tourist Arrivals Growth Rate (%) Destination 2009 2010 2009-2010

Camarines Sur 1,566,447 2,330,116 48.75 Metro 1,907,816 2,296,475 20.37 Cebu 1,615,982 1,772,234 9.67 Boracay Island 649,559 779,666 20.03 Baguio City 770,187 738,390 (4.13) Davao City 669,864 682,821 1.93 Puerto Princesa City 268,942 405,430 50.75 Cagayan de Oro 359,867 387,188 7.59 Zambales 323,271 338,793 4.80 Bohol 315,242 334,212 6.02

Camiguin Island 267,776 290,980 8.67

Cagayan 266,962 271,484 1.69

Negros Oriental 246,447 234,919 (4.68)

Total 9,228,362 10,862,708 17.71

Sources: Department of Tourism 7, Local Tourism Offices 27 | P a g e

Within the Philippine Tourism's Priority Strategic Destination Area. The tourism development plans recognize the strategic role of Cebu and Bohol in the Philippines' tourism industry. Hence, these two provinces have been identified as among the priority destination areas for further development. In the Sustainable Tourism Management Plan for the Central Philippines (2007), Cebu was ranked 1st and Bohol 3rd of five (5) priority strategic destination areas (SDA) for development. This means that in a situation of limited resources, the priority strategic destination areas are the areas considered most productive and will give the best rate of return to investments.

While only is specifically mentioned as priority tourism development area within the Cebu and Bohol Strategic Destination Areas, the Camotes Group of Islands and the Island of President C.P. Garcia can share in the increased economic benefits from tourism by priming themselves to become part of Cebu and Bohol's ecotourism circuit.

Small Islands as Models of Climate Change Adaptation. The global issue of climate change has raised awareness of the fragility of small islands and the need to protect them. This could facilitate the allocation of funds from international sources for the projects and activities of the islands. The small islands of can be models of climate change adaptation particularly in the role of trialing new sustainable technologies and protocols for eventual broader adoption.

Challenges

The development of the islands is constrained by the following factors:

Protected Area Status of Islands. Many of the small islands in Central Visayas are declared protected areas. In particular, Bantayan Island and the Camotes Group of Islands are mentioned in Presidential Proclamation Nos. 2151 and 2152 as part of the nation's wilderness areas and swamp forest reserves and shall be protected under the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS). As protected areas, no development is allowed to be undertaken in these areas unless approved by the Protected Area Management Boards (PAMBs) composed of representatives of national agencies, local government units and non-government organizations.

While the declaration of the islands as protected areas will greatly help in the preservation of the natural resources and protection of the environment (environmental goals), this could also restrict or limit land use or what could be implemented in terms of development activities in the islands.

Weak Physical Integration. Physical integration means that the necessary physical infrastructures, notably the transportation and telecommunication linkages and power facilities are in place and are working efficiently. In the case of the three island groups, there is weak physical integration with the mainland and with other areas in the region. Transportation and communication links with the mainland, within the islands, and even among the islets are not well developed.

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While there are small boats and bancas plying the islands from the mainland, they are few, slow, and not comfortable. Going around the island is also difficult due to lack of land transportation and poor state of the road network. In the area of telecommunications, it is difficult to contact/ call the islands. In some instances, the messages have to be relayed by neighboring municipalities to reach their intended recipients. This lack of physical integration has made inter and intra-island travel and trade with the islands tedious as well as costly.

Absence of Tourism Facilities. Bantayan Island is the only island group to have a fairly developed tourism industry. As such, Bantayan Island's tourism facilities are relatively good. The rest of the islands have yet to develop the basic tourism facilities, i.e. accommodation. Camotes Island and President C.P. Garcia Island also need to improve their road network, especially those leading to tourism sites, and utility services (power and water) in order to attract investments in tourism.

Competition from Other Areas. The islands face competition for both domestic and international visitors from other areas in the Visayas and the Philippines. The challenge is how to diversify and package the islands' products to make them unique and different from other areas offering similar ecotourism products and experiences.

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