In brief
Since opening in October 2023, Bohol’s bamboo‑themed park in Bilar offers visitors a full‑spectrum bamboo experience—from architecture and dining to craft demonstrations. Naturalists and local entrepreneurs alike praise the project for boosting tourism and community livelihoods while preserving Bohol’s natural heritage as a UNESCO Global Geopark. Plans are underway to expand the initiative with a bamboo‑material development center and further collaborations between public and private stakeholders.
The tropical province of Bohol, now a UNESCO Global Geopark, has turned bamboo into the spine of its new sustainable tourism effort, with a bamboo‑themed park that opened in October 2023 in the southern town of Bilar.
Visitors can wander along a bamboo walkway, dine at an open‑air restaurant built from bamboo, and sample bamboo shoots served on bamboo plates, all within a landscape covering 17 hectares and home to 45,000 bamboo plants representing 40 varieties.
The park is privately run by co‑owners Arnold Labunog and his brothers Eduardo and Rodrigo, and is managed on a daily basis by Jocelyn Suarez, the general manager of Kinaiyahan Forest Park.
When guests arrive, Suarez explains, “When guests come here, they appreciate the food. In terms of the property, they get amazed because of the bamboo structure and the architectural design. And they feel it’s cooler here, because we are surrounded by bamboo,” she said.
“When guests come here, they appreciate the food. In terms of the property, they get amazed because of the bamboo structure and the architectural design. And they feel it’s cooler here, because we are surrounded by bamboo,” said Jocelyn Suarez, general manager of Kinaiyahan Forest Park.
Beyond the food and scenery, visitors can watch local craftspeople turn raw bamboo stalks into furniture, mats, and household items. The park’s House of Art serves as both a studio and an exhibition space for these artisanal projects.
From Rural Roots to Global Recognition
Labunog, who is 65 and an engineer by training, co‑owned the area when it was a blank 17‑hectare plot in 2018, then bore the natural abundance of bamboo that already had sprouted across the land.
“Because we grew up in the countryside, we’d like to develop this place just like the one where we used to play before – with many trees and just nature, and with ricefields…We grew up using bamboo,” said Arnold Labunog, 65.
He says he and his family’s vision was further inspired when his brothers visited Japan’s Arashiyama Bamboo Grove in Kyoto. “My brother (Eduardo) was very surprised that it’s just bamboo all around, yet there were so many tourists,” Labunog added.
Bohol’s status as the Philippines’ first UNESCO Global Geopark was awarded in 2023, boosting the island’s profile for its geological wonders and thereby attracting worldwide attention to its sustainable tourism potential.
Growing Bamboo, Growing Community
Bamboo’s rapid growth and versatility make it an attractive alternative to conventional building materials. The park’s co‑owners, who sit on a public‑private council promoting the bamboo industry in cooperation with provincial and central governments, emphasize that the species can be used for nearly anything—from construction and furniture to local crafts and food service.
To that end, plans are underway to establish a research and development center focused on bamboo materials, providing new training opportunities for community artisans and a pilot facility to produce building elements suitable for eco‑friendly construction.
“This initiative is a win for both the environment and local livelihoods,” Suarez noted. “By showcasing bamboo in every aspect of the park—from the architecture to the dining experience—we are demonstrating a viable path toward sustainable development.”
“This initiative is a win for both the environment and local livelihoods,” said Jocelyn Suarez.
As the park expands its reach, it aims to serve as a prototype for other communities within the geopark, encouraging both local governments and private partners to integrate bamboo into urban and rural development plans.
The community’s engagement with local knitters, carpenters, and farmers has already produced inputs for seasonal bamboo shoots, which are tasted by visitors and sold back to the region, thus giving farmers a steady income stream.
Through this integrated approach, Bohol’s bamboo park not only preserves the province’s natural heritage but also creates sustainable pathways for economic growth, reinforcing UNESCO’s goal of fostering regenerative landscapes.
