Foreign visitors prop up tourism growth in Bohol
TAGBILARAN CITY—Bohol welcomed more than 1.4 million visitors in 2025, an increase of some 4.2 percent compared to 2024 arrivals, the Bohol Provincial Tourism Office (BPTO) reported this week.
However, the year-on-year growth in total arrivals of 1,427,362 in 2025, is a marked slowdown from the 36 percent registered in 2024, based on the 1,010,248 tourists counted in 2023.
Of the total visitors in 2025, 59 percent, or 841,971, were domestic tourists and 41 percent, or 585,391, were foreigners.
The number of local tourists in 2025 slightly decreased from its 2024 level of 870,956. But this was compensated by an 18-percent spike in the number of foreign visitors.
This highlights the province’s growing international profile as the country’s first and only United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) “Global Geopark and Regenerative Island.”
Joanne Pinat, BPTO officer in charge, said the gains were achieved despite persistent challenges confronting the tourism sector, including national-level concerns, intensifying regional competition, and environmental pressures.
Market diversification
“Bohol has shown resilience and continues to hold its ground as a globally competitive destination,” she noted.
The BPTO attributed the decline in domestic travelers to changing travel behavior, citing a Department of Tourism (DOT) data showing that from January to October last year, more Filipinos traveled abroad.
The growth in foreign tourist numbers, according to Pinat, signals sustained international confidence in Bohol.
South Korea, China, the United States, Taiwan, and France remained the province’s top source markets, while arrivals from Spain, Australia, and Russia posted the fastest growth rates in 2025.
Tourism officials said market diversification helped offset the impact of reduced direct flights from South Korea.
One of the outcomes of diversification efforts is the expected arrival of charter flights from Japan starting May this year, targeting high-value markets aligned with Bohol’s cultural and sustainability branding.
Meanwhile, European arrivals were boosted by Bohol’s active participation in international travel fairs and tourism missions. Its Unesco Global Geopark designation has further elevated the province’s image as a premium and sustainable destination.
MICE capacity
Among the country’s 82 provinces, Bohol has earned recognition from tourism stakeholders and international experts as the “best tourism destination province.”
Confidence in Bohol’s capacity as a destination for meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) events was reflected in its selection as host of high-level international events, including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) meetings this year.
The Asean meetings, local officials said, affirm the province’s readiness in terms of security, infrastructure, and services.
Bohol Gov. Erico Aristotle Aumentado said they wanted to capitalize on this MICE strength for 2026, in addition to expanding its geotourism circuits, developing gastronomy and cultural trails, and community-based regenerative tourism.
The Chocolate Hills complex in Carmen town remained Bohol’s most visited attraction in 2025, followed by Quinale Beach in Anda town, about 106 kilometers from the capital city of Tagbilaran.
Tourism authorities said the figures reflected progress in dispersing visitor traffic beyond Panglao Island and encouraging development in other parts of the province.
