2018 Boracay Closure and Redevelopment

I.Overview
Boracay is a small island located in the Western Visayas region of the
Philippines, has been the country’s top tourist draw since 1980 when its fine
powdery sand and clear blue water were first discovered by the world. It’s
known for its resorts and beaches. White Beach is backed by palm trees, bars
and restaurants. A famous beach in the Philippines. Boracay is part of the
jurisdiction of the town of Malay of Aklan province. Three of Malay’s barangays
are in Boracay. Boracay had two million tourists in 2017 which accounts for 34
percent of Western VIsaya’s 5.8 million tourist arrivals and 19,031 are
employed to work on the island. However, Boracay existing population of more
than 70,700 had already exceeded the carrying capacity of almost 30%.

II.Problems
Among the major findings on the condition of Boracay Island include
beach erosion, disappearance of wetlands, high concentration of fecal coliform
in Bolabog Beaches and pollution caused by improper waste management and
encroachment of protected areas by illegal structures.
Boracay’s closure ordered by President Duterte after he was outraged by
environmental violations. The Philippines government will be closing its most
famous holiday island the Boracay to tourists for six months starting April
26,2018 in order to clean it up after concerns that rapid development and
pollution was threatening its idyllic shores. As part of the government’s efforts
at the island’s environmental rehabilitation.

III.Alternative Solutions
On April 4, 2018, the Phillipine government announced that Boracay
would be closed for up to siz months starting April 26. Checkpoints manned by
police officers and soldiers would be set up at piers in Boracay to turn away
visitors from the island. Passes would be given to local residents.
On the day of the closure , President Rodrigo Duterte declared a state of
calamity over the three barangays of Boracay. The Department of Social
Welfare and Development( DSWD ) has distributed relief goods to residents of
Boracay while the island is closed to tourists. Within the same month , a whale
shark sighting was reported in Boracay through social media. Social media
users mostly from Aklan hailed the sighting as a good sign. The government
through presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said that the sighting is a
proof of rehabilitation is a success.
About 400 hotels and restaurants were ordered to close for violating local
environmental laws, while 3 casinos have been permanently shut down.
Establishments built within the 30- meter shoreline easement were also
demolished.
From October 16 to 25, 2018, Boracay was partially opened or have a dry
run of its return to tourism operations. Filipino citizens was only allowed to
visit the island as tourists with local given priority. Assessment was made
before Boracay was fully reopened on its soft opening on October 26.
On May 30, 2018, President Duterte declared that he planned to make
the entire island of Boracay a land reform area and wanted to prioritize
Boracay’s frist inhabitants.
The department of Tourism would also prohibit smoking and drinking of
alcohol in public places and the beaches of Boracay thourgh these activities
would be allowed in designated areas. Under the new rules, 19,200 tourists per
day will be allowed on the Island. Moreover, fire eaters, masseuses, vendors,
stray dogs, bonfires and even the builders of photo-op sandcastles have been
banned from the beachfront. All water sports, aside for swimming , are also
forbidden for the time being.

IV.Evaluation of Alternatives
Since the 1970s, tourism in the island has grown rapidly, even
exponentially. In 2016 alone, around 1,725,483 tourists descended on the
island, 250,000 more than in 2015. And in the first 10 months of 2017, the
tourist arrivals were already 1,669,751 which was 2013,000 higher than the
same 10 month period in 2016. It is estimated that the average number of
tourists in the island per day is around 14,182. Added to the official resident
population density of 4,583 persons per sq km. during peak months, that
density can even soar to almost 10,000 persons.
Therefore President Rodrigo Duterte to finally issue an ultimatum when
he threatened to close down the island. He gave Environment Secretary Roy
Cimatu six months to institutionalize massive reforms. Cimatu has vowed to
crack the whip on erring hotels, resorts and establishments.
But in order to save Boracay, what needs to be instituted is an alternative
tourism business model that will ensure not only the ecological rehabilitation
of the island, but also recuperate its cultural integrity. There is no doubt that
unbridled growth has to be radically checked, with closures and taking down of
establishments that have violated the rules.it would also be in order to strictly
enforce a limitation on the number of people that can stay in the island in a
given day.
There is enormous potential for the Malay municipality to be developed
into a jump-off point for tourist who would be allowed to go to the island only
for day or limited overnight stays. This can address the problems of displaced
employment that can result from the scaling down of operations in the island.
Boracay’s physicality has been damaged not only environmentally but
also culturally. If there is any chance that we can recuperate its wounded
ecological and cultural body, it should be now that we have a President who
has the moral courage to tell the private capitalist and their government
enablers that enough is enough.

V.Recommendation
As preparation for Boracay’s clean up operation gets underway, local experts
their recommendations for how to get it back on its feet they must learn to:
 Regulate visitor numbers because overcrowding is one of the root causes
of biodiversity loss and resource exploitation in Boracay.
 Strengthen law enforcement to curb overbuilding because habitat
degradation and declining water quality are seen to be party a result of
weak law enforcement in Boracay , according to Fortes presentation.
 More education for policymakers and island residents because lack of
education and training among local policymakers is seen as another root
cause for Boracay’s worsening water pollution.
 Workshops for sustainable tourism in Boracay which would include
creating a roadmap for environmentally sustainable tourism in the
central island.
 Switch to renewable energy because Boracay’s issues is the high price of
goods leading to an increase in demand for land, raw materials,food and
energy.
 Protect indigenous people and the natural eco-heritage of the island
because President Duterte has also been pressured to save Boracay’s
social and cultural heritage, which is at risk of disappearing under the
weight of tourism.
VI.Possible Results and Obstacles to Implementation
The department of tourism said that the government-initiated
environmental rehabilitation on Boracay Island is yielding positive results as it
was voted best island in Asia for 2019 by readers of the Conde Nast Traveler
magazine. President Duterte in 2018 ordered the six month closure and
rehabilitation of the island, as it has become a “cesspool” due to environmental
concerns. The island was reopened to tourists in October last year.
They also prohibit smoking and drinking of alcohol in public places and
the beaches of Boracay through these activities would be allowed in designated
areas. Under the new rules, 19,200 tourists per day will be allowed on the
Island. Moreover, fire eaters, masseuses, vendors, stray dogs, bonfires and
even the builders of photo-op sandcastles have been banned from the
beachfront. All water sports, aside for swimming , are also forbidden for the
time being.
The DENR would only allow for 19,000 tourists to visit the island daily. If
the limit is exceeded, only allow tourists with hotel reservations would be
allowed but their respective hotels would be alerted by the agency that the
daily limit of tourists in the island has already been reach. However it was later
clarified that the government has yet to finalize the daily tourist limit to be
imposed on Boracay.
Boracay Island continues to draw worldwide attention , the tourism chief
said her deparment is pushing to promote other tourist destination in the
country. The rehabilitation efforts were worth it as the island is getting high-
value clients.

VII.REFERENCES

 Duterte calls Philippine tourist island Boracay a ‘cesspool’. The Start

Online. 10 February 2018. Retrieved 9 April 2018
 “task force adopts guidelines to protect Boracay VS tourist influx.
Department of Environment and Natural Resource.
 Tourists calling off Boracay trips amid closure plans”
 Boracay is bursting at the seams.
 “they outnumber tourists. over 15,000 workers to be booted out of
BOracay”
 After whale shark sighting, Palace says Boracay rehab a success”
 Project
In

MACRO PERPECTIVE OF
TOURISM
AND

HOSPITALITY

Submitted by:
Christian Gacutan
BSHM-1A

SUBMITTED TO:
Richard M. Etrata