Issues, Challenges, and Opportunities in Sustainable Tourism Development in Central Visayas: Specific and Common Concerns of Cebu and Bohol by Belinda F. Espiritu and Cora Jane C. Lawas
ABSTRACT
This paper explores the status, issues and concerns, and challenges and opportunities in sustainable tourism development in Central Visayas using the framework of sustainable development, with its three aspects of socio-cultural sustainability, ecological sustainability, and economic sustainability. Cebu and Bohol, the top two tourist destinations in Central Visayas, are popular for the following: world-class hotels, beaches, and resorts; meetings, incentives, conventions, and exhibitions (MICE) tourism; community-based ecotourism; cultural tourism; and agri-tourism. Both provinces have issues and concerns, challenges, and opportunities—some of which are specific to each, while some are common to both. Among the specific issues and concerns in Cebu are the need for good governance and inter-agency coordination for sustainable tourism, particularly in ecotourism sites, and the need to develop and strengthen more types of alternative tourism. Bohol is concerned with restoring and preserving its
heritage structures and ensuring equitable economic growth
and environmental sustainability. Their common issues include
tourism-induced prostitution, climate change, disaster risk
preparedness, growing traffic congestion, water sustainability,
solid waste management, air pollution controls, quality of water in
seas, preservation of marine resources, the need for an efficient
public transportation system, and the implementation of their
tourism and environmental codes to ensure sustainability.
KEYWORDS
Sustainable tourism, Central Visayas, ecotourism, cultural tourism,
multi-stakeholder partnerships
Link to the PDF copy of the article
https://cids.up.edu.ph/publications/discussion-papers/2019-series/2019-06/