On the first day of Boracay's reopening, 3,777 tourists arrived to the island with 1,121 of them with the intention to stay more than one day. The locals met tourists with enthusiams as after the islands was shut down in April many of the 20,000 locals whose major occupation used to be connected to the tourist sector, had lost their jobs.
While the island does allow tourists to enter, little seem to have been changed since April. The roads remain in poor condition and the drainage system, one of the main reasons for Boracay's closure earlier this year, is still under construction. The rehabilitation works are still under way and according to the authorities only 80% of the infrastructure is now complete with the main transport thoroughfare of the island, the 4.2 km long circumferential road expected to be ready by December.
While it is not yet clear whether this 6-month closure was beneficial for Boracay, the government discusses similar measures to be applied to other prime tourist destinations, including El Nido in Palawan and Panglao in Bohol.
Boracay Starts Anew
News in Asia
On October, 26, Boracay island, the Philippines, reopened after a 6-month rehabilitation. To avoid a repeat of the negative influx of overtourism, the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF) now allows only 6,405 guests to visit the island daily.