₱1,650 Pompano: Will tourists still visit bohol if paradise comes at a price?

FEATURE

BOHOL — Would you still travel to Bohol if a single meal could make you ask: “Sulit pa ba?”

That is the question now circulating online after a Boholana posted about paying ₱1,650 for one pompano during a meal in Panglao.

In a Threads post that was later shared on Reddit, the woman joked about taking the fish bones home after seeing the price. She went on to complain about what she described as the high cost of airfare, accommodation, tours, food and transportation in Bohol.

The post quickly drew reactions, with some commenters describing the price as excessive and comparing the cost of vacationing in Bohol with traveling abroad.

One commenter quipped that the fish was even more expensive than dining in Bonifacio Global City.

But one expensive fish does not automatically mean an entire destination is overpriced.

The price itself has not been independently verified, and there is no information publicly available on the fish's weight, preparation, restaurant service charges or other factors that could explain the bill.

What can be verified, however, is that Bohol's tourism industry is facing a significant slowdown.

From 1.4 million tourists to a 59% drop

Bohol welcomed 1,427,362 tourist arrivals in 2025, a 4.18-percent increase from the previous year, according to the Bohol Provincial Tourism Office. Foreign arrivals helped drive that growth, although domestic arrivals declined 3.3 percent. But the picture changed dramatically in the first quarter of 2026.

Bohol recorded only 170,016 tourist arrivals from January to March, down from 417,142 during the same period in 2025—a 59-percent decline.

Domestic arrivals plunged 73 percent, while foreign arrivals dropped about 40 percent.

Hotel occupancy also weakened, with occupied rooms falling 14 percent during the quarter.

The figures do not prove that expensive food or tourism services caused the decline.

Bohol tourism officials have pointed instead to a combination of factors, including higher travel costs, rising fuel prices, disruptions in Middle East flight routes and changing travel demand.

Still, price matters. And perception matters even more.

When paradise starts looking expensive

For tourists, a destination is rarely judged by its beach alone.

They calculate the entire trip—from airfare and airport transfers to hotels, food, tours and transportation.

In May, Bohol tourism officials acknowledged concerns over transport costs and chose to allow market forces to determine tourist transport rates rather than impose a fixed tariff. Stakeholders had raised concerns that inconsistent rates could hurt tourists and the tourism industry.

The concern comes at a time when Filipino travelers have more choices.

A vacation in Bohol now competes not only with Boracay, Palawan and Cebu but also with increasingly accessible destinations around Southeast Asia.

That comparison becomes particularly difficult when travelers feel they can get more food, accommodation or experiences for the same amount of money elsewhere. And this is not only a Bohol problem.

A national tourism dilemma

The Philippines welcomed 6.4 million foreign visitors and returning overseas Filipinos in 2025, generating an estimated ₱694 billion in tourism receipts, according to the Department of Tourism.

But domestic travel is facing its own affordability challenge.

Industry analysts have warned that high inflation and costly airfares could slow domestic tourism in 2026. From January to May, the country recorded 2.74 million foreign visitors, up 7.5 percent year-on-year, but the monthly growth rate weakened significantly by May.

For destinations like Bohol, that creates a delicate balancing act. Businesses have to deal with higher fuel, labor, food and operating costs. Tourists, meanwhile, want competitive prices and value for money.

Somewhere between the two lies the future of tourism.

Can Bohol win the value-for-money battle?

There are already efforts to make Bohol more competitive.

The province and tourism stakeholders have been working on improving connectivity, developing new tourism circuits and diversifying attractions beyond the usual Panglao-Chocolate Hills itinerary.

A new Laag Bohol web application launched in July also aims to connect tourists with verified guides, operators and transport providers while gathering visitor feedback and supporting data-driven tourism planning.

Bohol-Panglao International Airport also remains a major gateway. It handled 2.22 million passengers in 2025, showing that demand for access to the province remains substantial even amid the tourism slowdown.

So perhaps the real question is not whether one ₱1,650 pompano is too expensive.

It is whether tourists increasingly feel that Bohol gives them enough value for what they spend.

Because a beautiful beach can attract a visitor once. A memorable experience at a fair price is what can bring that visitor back—and convince others to come.

For Bohol, a province that welcomed more than 1.4 million tourists last year, that distinction could determine whether its next tourism story is one of recovery or continued decline.

And for the traveler staring at a ₱1,650 fish?

The question remains painfully simple:

“Bohol, pupuntahan pa ba namin kung ganito kamahal?”