TOURISM POWERHOUSE: W. Visayas touted as wellness, gastronomy hub in nat’l review

By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan

Western Visayas is positioning itself as a national leader in wellness, gastronomy and heritage tourism, according to a comprehensive tourism sectoral review released by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies.

The study, titled Philippine Tourism Sectoral Review (2000 to 2025), highlights Region VI as one of the country’s most visited regions and a key laboratory for experiential and inclusive tourism development.

Data cited by the report, culled from the Department of Tourism and its attached agencies, industry reports, and international organizations, indicated that Region VI recorded 11.8 million foreign arrivals from 2000 to 2024, driven largely by Boracay’s global popularity.

Western Visayas also emerged as the top destination for Overseas Filipinos, with approximately 1.2 million arrivals, reflecting strong visit-friends-and-relatives travel patterns.

The study noted that these patterns “underscore the importance of personal and familial connections in shaping OF travel behavior.”

The data includes that of Negros Occidental, which has since split from the region to form the Negros Island Region with Negros Oriental and Siquijor from 2024 onward.

The report identifies the 2018 Boracay closure and rehabilitation as one of the country’s key tourism success stories.

The six-month closure from April to October 2018 aimed to address seven key areas, including social safety nets, health and sanitation, decongestion, traffic flow, rule of law, stakeholder engagement, and a medium-term rehabilitation program.

“In compliance with Executive Order 53, the Boracay Inter-agency Task Force (BIATF) was ordered to rehabilitate the island of Boracay to ensure ecological sustainability and welfare of the local people,” the study stated.

Despite the disruption, the study found that “Boracay was still successful in restoring its environment’s health, while improving the quality of life of the locals and restoring the beauty of the island.”

During focus group discussions cited in the report, stakeholders described Western Visayas as repositioning toward wellness and holistic tourism.

In Region VI, “stakeholders highlighted a strategic reorientation toward wellness and holistic tourism, envisioned under the concept of a ‘Filipino brand of wellness.'”

The initiative integrates indigenous healing practices, nature-based retreats and community-managed wellness spaces.

“Local governments in Bacolod and Iloilo have begun transforming public spaces such as the Bacolod Government Center and San Carlos City Plaza into inclusive ‘wellness commons,’ where physical, emotional, and social rejuvenation are accessible to residents and visitors alike,” the study said.

The report describes this approach as “a unique form of social tourism, where communities are both participants and beneficiaries of the visitor economy.”

The study also underscores Iloilo City’s international recognition as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Creative City of Gastronomy.

“With Iloilo’s UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy designation, Region VI leverages its heritage food culture through gastronomic circuits, food crawls, and community-led farm-to-table experiences,” the report noted.

The proposed Sugar Heritage Trail linking Negros Occidental, Panay, and Guimaras seeks to reinterpret the region’s colonial legacy “into narratives of resilience and cultural pride.”

Among the region’s ecotourism sites, Danjugan Island Sanctuary in Negros Occidental was cited as a model.

The sanctuary is managed by the Philippine Reef and Rainforest Conservation Foundation, integrating research, education, and habitat protection, and follows a “low-volume, high-learning approach” as a model for conservation-funded ecotourism.

Western Visayas is also integrated into the broader “One Visayas” Tourism Circuits program, which synchronizes Central, Western and Eastern Visayas through thematic routes.

One of these includes a Dive Circuit linking Bohol, Southern Leyte, and Antique.

Despite its gains, stakeholders raised concerns about coordination and marketing.

Participants cited “fragmented marketing and weak private sector coordination,” noting “the absence of a regional Destination Marketing Organization or multi-stakeholder governance mechanism” that prevents standardization of visitor experiences and brand continuity.

The study also reports common institutional challenges in the Visayas, including “fragmented coordination among [local government units] and national agencies” and “weak enforcement of environmental and accreditation policies.”

While the report acknowledges Western Visayas’ strong international footprint, it also highlights national concerns about geographic concentration of arrivals and the need for balanced regional development.

The overall assessment positions Western Visayas as both a major tourism anchor and an evolving innovation hub for wellness, gastronomy, heritage, and community-based tourism, with institutional reforms seen as critical to sustaining its momentum.