Have you gone to Bohol? Bohol is famous for the Chocolate Hills and the tiny primate called the Philippine Tarsier (Tarsius syrichta) often mistagged as the world's smallest monkey.
Bohol's more commercialized city is Tagbilaran. It has a domestic airport with daily flights to and from Manila and a seaport that docks ships and fast crafts from Manila, Cebu, and some parts of Mindanao. Tagbilaran has also earned attention for its new one-stop shopping destinations, the Island City Mall and the BQ Mall.
Lately, Bohol has boomed because of its prime diving spots located in Panglao. Panglao is a tiny island that houses some of the nicest resorts in the Philippines. It is about 15 to 20 minutes away from Tagbilaran City by car. It is where you will find nice white sand beaches, overlooking views and protected marine sanctuaries.
The latest buzz is that a 4.2B (was originally 2.5B) international airport will be constructed in Panglao island with a tentative completion date in September of 2009. This project indeed, if it's true, has created a spin in the Bohol real estate market. In fact properties that used to cost about P50-P200/sq.m. have now skyrocketed in price amounting to at least ten times the original appraisal value. Even lots in the most remote locations with unpaved roads are worth millions nowadays. Talking about prime real estate, huh?
But what is there for the Boholano populace? Will this create more jobs and more opportunities for entrepreneurs? Or will this bring about crime to this peace-loving community? Will this open a bigger window to the world for Bohol? Some say, that in the not so distant future, if this international airport is realized, Panglao Island will be the next Phuket--the prime tourist destination in Thailand.
So will this make BOHOL the next tourist destination in the Philippines? The answer is simple. If the international airport project will be realized, Bohol is probably headed that way. But will this airport project ever gonna take off?
No comments:
Post a Comment