VISAYAS

VISAYAS
• The Visayan group consists of seven large and several hundred smaller islands clustered
around the Visayan, Samar, and Camotes seas.
• The seven main islands are Bohol, Cebu, Leyte, Masbate, Negros, Panay, and Samar.
Central Visayas- Region 7

• It consists of four provinces—Bohol,

Cebu, Negros Oriental, and
Siquijor— and the highly urbanized
cities of Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City,
and Mandaue City.
• The region is dominated by the
native speakers of Cebuano. Cebu
City is its regional center.
WESTERN VISAYAS
• Region VI
• It consists of six provinces and
two highly urbanized cities.
• The regional center is Iloilo
City.
• Provinces: Aklan, Antique,
Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo,
Negros
Region 8 (Eastern Visayas)
• It is composed of two main
islands, Leyte and Samar,
connected by the famous
San Juanico Bridge.
• It consists of six provinces
namely, Biliran, Eastern
Samar, Leyte, Northern
Samar, Samar, Southern
Leyte.
TOURIST ARRIVALS –CENTRAL
VISAYAS (DOT)
• Tourists arrivals in Central Visayas
last year reached 8,099,346 visitors,
a 16-percent jump from the
6,974,674 visitors in 2017.
• Foreign tourist arrivals stood at
2,805,115
• Cebu had the lion’s share, getting
77 percent, according to the
Department of Tourism (DOT).
• Domestic tourist arrivals in
Central Visayas for 2018 was
also high at over 4.446 million,
with Cebu still getting 62
percent of those domestic
tourists.
• Tourism receipts in the region in
2018 reached P44.2 billion with
the estimated daily receipts
spending from foreign tourists at
P6,597 and from domestic
tourists receipts at P1,200 per
day
• South Korea made up the biggest
batch of arrivals in the region in 2018
with 1,344,154 visitors.
• Also in the top 10 are China, Japan,
United States, Taiwan, Australia, United
Kingdom, Germany, France and
Canada.
• The top five tourist destinations in the
region are the cities of Cebu and Lapu-
lapu, Panglao and Tagbilaran in Bohol
and Dumaguete City.
• Over 1.650 million domestic tourists
visited Cebu City, while more than
1,340,000 foreign tourists came to Lapu-
Lapu City
CENTRAL VISAYAS
• Other popular destinations include Mandaue City, Cordova, Sta.
Fe, Bantayan, Daanbantayan, San Remigio, Oslob, San Juan in
Siquijor, Dauis in Bohol and San Francisco in Camotes Island.

• Opening of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Terminal last

July 1
• Panglao International Airport in Bohol last November
• 10 new international inaugural flights were launched, eight of them
from China and Macau
EASTERN VISAYAS
• The tourism industry in the province of Leyte remains to be
vibrant, earning P12.25 billion from tourist receipts in 2018.

• income was derived from 1,147,462 tourist arrivals, 36,411 of whom were
foreigners.
• 2017 the province recorded 971,032 arrivals wherein 40,043 were
foreigners, with total receipts of P9.75 billion.

• In 2016 the province had 755,144 arrivals bringing in P7.17 billion.

WESTERN VISAYAS
• TOURIST arrivals in Western Visayas
dropped by 15.33 percent to some 4.96
million in 2018, largely due to the
closure of Boracay Island for six months.
• Tourism receipts likewise declined by
18.6 percent to some P105 billion in
2018, from P129 billion recorded by the
region in 2017.
• .
• Data from Department of Tourism
(DOT) Region 6 showed a 50.32-
percent fall in arrivals in the province of
Aklan, where Boracay is located, to 1.1
million in 2018.
• Similarly, visitor receipts in the province
slipped by about 48 percent to P31.5
billion
• DOT has targeted arrivals in Iloilo City to
reach 1.4 million this year, from the 1.24
million recorded in 2017 as the city
improves its standing as a MICE
(Meetings, Incentives, Conferences,
Exhibitions) destination.
OVERTOURISM

• Since its inception, tourism has been considered a benign activity.

• Hardly surprising; the holiday industry’s USP is leisure, enjoyment, a break from all
responsibility.
• It has brought wealth to forgotten rural communities, cushioned the blow of financial
crashes, conserved critically endangered species and restored crumbling, historic
cities. Tourism’s potential benefits are clear. However, the mistake is to think that it can
only bring good.
• In summer 2017, the media and the travel industry finally began to turn their gaze to the
negative impacts of the holiday industry, and the term ‘overtourism’ was coined.
What is overtourism?
• Overtourism occurs when there are too many visitors to a particular
destination.
• “Too many” is a subjective term, but it is defined in each destination by local
residents, hosts, business owners and tourists.
• When rent prices push out local tenants to make way for holiday rentals, that is
overtourism.
• When narrow roads become jammed with tourist vehicles, that is overtourism.
• When wildlife is scared away, when tourists cannot view landmarks because of
the crowds
• when fragile environments become degraded – these are all signs of
overtourism.
OVERTOURISM
• The World Tourism
Organization (UNWTO)
defines overtourism as "the
impact of tourism on a
destination, or parts thereof,
that excessively influences
perceived quality of life of
citizens and/or quality of
visitor experiences in a
negative way".
BORACAY BEACH CLOSURE
• Feb 2018, Pres. Duterte declared
Boracay to be a cesspool
• Soon placed it under a “state of
calamilty”
• Closed from 26 April to 25 Oct 2018
• Shutdown drew mixed reactions
from the residents, workers, and
investors
Background
• Boracay is an island off the NW tip of Aklan Province in the municipality of
Malay
• 17 barangays
• 13 beaches- 3 well-known: White Beach, Bolabog Beach and Puka Beach
• Catapulted to fame after German Jens Peter wrote about it in the 1979 travel
guide book, Philippinen: Paradies fur Globetrotter, which was translated into
English in 1981 for Lonely Planet as Philippines: A Travel Survival Kit
• Tourism increased 24 times
• 1995-81,197 visitors
• 2017- 2,001,974
Background
• Heavy tourism promotion campaigns by government and private sectors
• Construction of Caticlan airport
• Boracay named Travel+Leisure Magazine’s Best Island in 2012
• Ranked top Island I n the world 2016 Conde’ Nast Travelers Readers/ Choice
Awards
Issues caused by overtourism
• 6,859 persons per square kilometer
• According to DENR, Boracay”s carrying capacity is 6,405 arrivals per day
• Average arrival is 7,774 persons
• Number of hotels and resorts (430)exceeded the carrying capacity by 72.69%
• Excessive numbers had led to health and environmental problems
• Water contaminated with coliform
• 2600 establishments were discharging wastewater into the sea, but only 4%
(118) has wastewater discharge permits
• Excessive groundwater extraction and groundwater polluted
• Polluted seawater, damaged island’s plants and animals
• Illegal settlers
• Wetlands destroyed (wetlands reduce flooding and prevent shoreline erosion
Factors contributing to
overtourism
• Uncontrolled tourism development
• Lack of clarity regarding zoning
• Lack of law enforcement
• Devolution of regulatory powers from the central to local
government
• Government’s tendency to be reactive rather than proactive
• 1997 Coliform report DOT Sec Mina Gabor
• 2015 DOT Sec Ramon Jimenez claim that overtourism was
exaggerated
• According to a report by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), The
Boracay Closure: Socioeconomic Consequences and Resilience Management, says
the Boracay rehabilitation project cost multiple industries between P20.8 billion (US$395
mln) and P83.15 billion ($1.6 bln) in output between May and October, while income
loss was put at between P7 billion ($134 mln) to P27.9 billion ($532 mln).
• Bonfires, plastic, beach parties banned
• Beach vendors selling massage, food and drink, and other items such as sunglasses
and souvenirs either along the beach or from stalls bordering the beach are similarly
banned