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EcoSands White Paper Series 1
Alona Beach: Current state and outlook
Published on 1 Aug 20241. Introduction
1. Introduction
Alona Beach is located in the southern part of Bohol's largest island, Panglao. Its convenient location ensures ease of accessibility, being just minutes away from the Panglao International Airport and less than an hour's drive from Tagbilaran seaport.
Alona Beach is a popular travel destination known for its white sandy beaches and clear waters. Some of the picturesque snapshot of Alona Beach available online are shown in Figure 1.
Alona Beach is a popular travel destination known for its white sandy beaches and clear waters. Some of the picturesque snapshot of Alona Beach available online are shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1: Snapshot of Alona Beach
Alona Beach's kilometer stretch of fine white sands boasts a vibrant atmosphere, with numerous resorts, restaurants, and bars along its shoreline. A typical walkthrough along the beach would look like those presented in Figure 2.
Figure 2: Accommodations and restaurants at Alona Beach
2. Tourism statistics
2. Tourism statistics
EcoSands compiled historical data of accommodations and tourist arrivals from the Department of Tourism (DoT), Panglao Tourism Office (PTO), and Agoda to quantify the socio-economic impacts of Alona Beach. The results are summarized below:
Table 1 shows that around 75 percent of the DoT-registered accommodations in the province is concentrated in the municipality of Panglao, which is far from the 18 accommodations in the capital city of Tagbilaran.
Table 1: DoT-registered accommodations in Bohol as of June 2024 (DoT, 2024)
EcoSands compiled data from the popular hospitality website Agoda to estimate the room rates at Alona Beach. This is summarized in Table 2.
Table 2: Nightly rate of accommodations in the Alona Beach area as of June 2024 (Agoda, 2024)
* 1 USD = PHP 58 (31 Jul 2024)
DoT provided dataset on tourist arrivals. EcoSands estimated the tourist arrivals for the rest of 2024 by adjusting the DoT historical trend by the seasonal index obtained from the PTO dataset. This is presented in Figure 3.
Figure 3: Estimated monthly tourist arrivals at Alona Beach in 2024
Based on historical data from various sources like DoT, PTO, Agoda, and Public Employment Service Office (PESO), EcoSands was able to estimate the revenue and jobs created by Alona Beach. This is summarized in Table 3.
Table 3: Estimated economic impacts of Alona Beach as of June 2024
*With the assumption of 50% average utilization rate. This includes resorts, hotels, hotels, and other types of accommodations. **Includes island hopping, day tour, and other activities, e.g., snorkeling, scuba diving, parasailing, countryside tours.
With a conservative estimate, Alona Beach generates a revenue of around PHP 472 million (USD 8.14 million) monthly, or PHP 5.71 billion (USD 98.40 million) annually, from the resorts, restaurants, and activities (e.g., island hopping, day tour); and generates almost 2,000-person jobs (both full- and part-time).
3. Current challenges
3. Current challenges
Seaweeds awash Alona Beach to varying degrees, particularly during periods of strong currents or winds as these tend to push the seaweeds closer to the coastline.
To address this, the LGU employs beach cleaners to maintain the coastline daily with the use of rakes and shovels. Additionally, each establishment is encouraged to keep their surrounding area clean.
The EcoSands team visited Alona Beach in the last week of March 2024. Some of the photos taken by the team are presented in Figure 4.
To address this, the LGU employs beach cleaners to maintain the coastline daily with the use of rakes and shovels. Additionally, each establishment is encouraged to keep their surrounding area clean.
The EcoSands team visited Alona Beach in the last week of March 2024. Some of the photos taken by the team are presented in Figure 4.
Figure 4: State of Alona Beach taken in March 2024
Alona Beach is one of the designated starting points for island hopping activities in Panglao Island. A temporary tent is used for the environmental fee and island hopping kiosk.
Island hopping is not the only activity that draws tourists to Alona Beach. Diving is equally popular. Early mornings bustle with activity near the shore as diving shops prepare for the day. Speedboats from each shop load essential equipment like oxygen tanks and diving suits for transfer to the main diving vessel.
Over the years, there had been some structural reforms and improvements in Alona Beach. For instance, the businesses in the area established the Alona Beach Community Association Inc. (ABCAI) in 1999 to serve as a communication platform between all the stakeholders in addressing issues related to beach management and beyond.
Many of the structures developed by some resorts and restaurants in the past had been demolished in 2019 (BC), and again in 2024 (BIN), to follow the 20-meter easement zone rule by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), also known as the Presidential Decree no. 1067 (Water code of the Philippines).
Task Force Alona, a partneship between the local and provincial government units, was established in April 2024 to rehabilitate Alona Beach.
The EcoSands team visited Alona Beach again in late June 2024 for the follow-up data collection. Some of the photos taken are shown in Figure 5.
Island hopping is not the only activity that draws tourists to Alona Beach. Diving is equally popular. Early mornings bustle with activity near the shore as diving shops prepare for the day. Speedboats from each shop load essential equipment like oxygen tanks and diving suits for transfer to the main diving vessel.
Over the years, there had been some structural reforms and improvements in Alona Beach. For instance, the businesses in the area established the Alona Beach Community Association Inc. (ABCAI) in 1999 to serve as a communication platform between all the stakeholders in addressing issues related to beach management and beyond.
Many of the structures developed by some resorts and restaurants in the past had been demolished in 2019 (BC), and again in 2024 (BIN), to follow the 20-meter easement zone rule by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), also known as the Presidential Decree no. 1067 (Water code of the Philippines).
Task Force Alona, a partneship between the local and provincial government units, was established in April 2024 to rehabilitate Alona Beach.
The EcoSands team visited Alona Beach again in late June 2024 for the follow-up data collection. Some of the photos taken are shown in Figure 5.
Figure 5: State of Alona Beach taken in June 2024
While a centralized loading and unloading zone was recently established for island hopping boats, implementing a similar solution for diving speedboats proves difficult. The Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (MENRO) faces challenges in designating docking areas for diving shops' boats along the shoreline, including potentially contributing to beach erosion.
Furthermore, diving shops raise concerns about efficiency, emphasizing the weight and bulk of their equipment make a single zone challenging.
Indeed, the rising popularity of Alona Beach has led to increasing pressures from various tourism activities. It might only be a matter of time for it to overshoot its carrying capacity, leaving the beach unsustainable in the near future.
Furthermore, diving shops raise concerns about efficiency, emphasizing the weight and bulk of their equipment make a single zone challenging.
Indeed, the rising popularity of Alona Beach has led to increasing pressures from various tourism activities. It might only be a matter of time for it to overshoot its carrying capacity, leaving the beach unsustainable in the near future.
4. From the present to the future
4. From the present to the future
The steady influx tourists to Alona Beach and the increased investor confidence in Panglao's potentials for further development and economic growth, compounded by more direct international flights, has made it become one of the strongest revenue generating tourist destination in the Visayas region. Some of these promising future for Alona Beach are presented in Figure 6.
Figure 6: Panglao Island is steadily becoming a tourist supermagnet
Although some systems are currently in place, there is an apparent need for the establishment of a sustainable tourism management system that would not only rehabilitate the area but also ensure that Alona Beach would be ready to welcome even more visitors in the years to come.
Feel free to cite this pageEcoSands (2024). Alona Beach: Current state and outlook. EcoSands White Paper Series 1. Accessed from: https://www.eco-sands.com/white-papers/alona-beach.
Photo credit: Booking.com, TourismoFilipino, InfoBohol, Robert Harding, Lobocriverwatch, GuidetothePhilippines, Supertraverlr, Nashaplaneta, Boholfundivers, Booking.com, InfoBohol, and Peakd.
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