Experiencing Bohol through its communities

Bohol is often defined by its icons: the sweeping green mounds of the Chocolate Hills, the quiet flow of the Loboc River, the clear waters surrounding Balicasag Island. But beyond these familiar images, another layer of the destination begins to take shape through the communities that live within them.

This perspective is currently being explored through an ongoing community-based tourism (CBT) immersion led by the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines, in partnership with Aboitiz InfraCapital Airports, operator of Bohol-Panglao International Airport.

“At Aboitiz InfraCapital Airports, we see tourism not just as movement, but as connection — with infrastructure such as Bohol-Panglao International Airport opening pathways for communities to share their stories, culture, and pride, and shape more meaningful travel experiences,” said Aboitiz InfraCapital Vice-President and Head of Airports Rafael M. Aboitiz, who led Aboitiz InfraCapital Airports’ active participation in TPB’s recent CBT.

Bringing together chefs, media, key opinion leaders, and tourism trade representatives, the program moves across the province from April 21 to 24, 2026, to experience how community-driven activities can be integrated into established travel routes.

For TPB Chief Operating Officer Maria Margarita Montemayor Nograles, initiatives like this are meant to deepen understanding of destinations beyond surface-level experiences.

“Tourism is not only about destinations, but about relationships — between people and place, between culture and environment, and between what we show the world and what we choose to preserve. In Bohol, we see how this balance can be achieved, where tourism becomes both meaningful and mindful.”

Throughout this CBT leg, food becomes a central thread that traces how local ingredients and culinary traditions bring Bohol into focus as a destination. It offers a way of understanding the province not just through taste, but through the systems, traditions, and livelihoods that sustain it.

Across the itinerary, travel is not confined to viewing points and short stops. It becomes something slower and more immersive, where each place offers sights to see and stories to engage with.

The Loboc River, for instance, serves as a point of connection, linking visitors to the communities that line its banks. What might otherwise be a brief stop takes on a more immersive quality, offering insight into how daily life, environment, and tradition come together in this part of Bohol.

Further inland, visits to Lasang Farm open up a different rhythm. Here, the pace is set by the cycles of planting, harvesting, and preparation. The experience is an opportunity to understand how food, livelihood, and community intersect and inform the destination experience.

In Tubigon, the story takes on a different texture. The thoughtful process of raffia weaving offers a glimpse into the craftsmanship that continues to define local communities, and a reminder that culture is not only lived in these everyday practices, but forms part of what gives a place its character.

Even at the Chocolate Hills, where visitors often come for the view, the experience begins to shift. The landscape remains the same, but the way it is encountered evolves through local context, through stories, and through the people who give the space its meaning beyond what is immediately visible.

Taken together, these stories suggest a different way of moving through Bohol. Community-based tourism adds texture to the journey that connects visitors to the people, food, practices, and environments that sustain the destination.

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