A web application connecting tourists with accredited guides, operators and transport providers went live this week as part of bringing digital infrastructure to Bohol.
The Philippine province, whose tourism sector has long relied on informal and word-of-mouth arrangements, will now see the LAAG Bohol web app, which was launched at the National Museum of the Philippines.
It is a joint project of the Department of Science and Technology, Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD), Bohol Island State University (BISU), and the Bohol Provincial Tourism Office.
LAAG is an acronym for Lifework Andragogy for Advanced Guides, though it also plays on the Cebuano word “laag,” meaning to wander or go out.
Bridging visitors and vetted services
The platform allows tourists to identify accredited tour guides, operators and transport providers, while also hosting learning resources for people working in the tourism sector.
DOST-PCIEERD funded the initiative with PHP1,000,000 through its Regional Research Institution Programme, while BISU contributed PHP150,000.
DOST-PCIEERD chief Niñaliza Escorial framed the app as more than a booking tool.
“The LAAG Bohol Web App is not simply a website, nor is it merely another digital platform,” she said in an interview with the Philippine Information Agency.
“It is a bridge between tourists and tour guides, service providers and visitors, local governments and actionable data, academic research and public service, and between Bohol’s rich heritage and its future.”
Before the launch, BISU conducted beta testing in partnership with the Bohol Provincial Tourism Office and the Bohol Island Tour Guides Association of the Philippines.
The university also consulted the Panglao Tourism Office, along with tour guides, operators and transport providers, during development.
The approach was intended to ensure the platform reflects how the industry operates on the ground, rather than imposing a system developed externally.
READ NEXT: Hit Broadway musical ‘& Juliet’ set for Manila debut in 2027
James Mario Ajero 
Wendellyn Mateo 
Carmela Calling