MANILA – The Department of Tourism (DOT) said that the number of government-accredited accommodation establishments in the Boracay Island has reached 339.
According to the DOT on Monday, the accredited hotels and resorts offer 12,083 rooms for the tourists who plan to visit the island.
President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the six-month closure of the tourist destination to make way for a six-month rehabilitation period starting April 26 of last year.
Following its reopening in October, tourist arrivals to the island have been limited to only 6,405 per day, as only 19,000 tourists will be allowed in Boracay at any given time.
The DOT Region 6 has emphasized the advantages of being a DOT-accredited establishment especially during the upcoming National and Local Elections on May 13.
This is after the Commission on Elections promulgated Resolution No. 10461 providing the Implementing Rules and Regulations on Liquor Ban on the day before (May 12) and during the election day (May 13). Section 3 of the resolution provides that hotels, resorts, restaurants, and other establishments of the same nature duly certified by the Department of Tourism as tourist-oriented and habitually in the business of catering to foreign tourists may be exempted from the liquor ban.
DOT-6 regional director Atty. Helen J. Catalbas stresses that only foreign tourists taking intoxicating liquor in authorized hotels and establishments are exempted. Any other persons including owners and managers of accredited establishments are prohibited to buy or take intoxicating liquor anywhere in the Philippines.
To avail of the exemption, authorized establishments should secure prior written authority from Provincial Election Supervisors or City Election Officers upon showing that there are justifiable reasons.
“Exemption from the Liquor Ban only shows that it is to its advantage if an establishment is DOT-accredited. That is also the reason why we conduct accreditation campaign to encourage all tourism-oriented establishments in Western Visayas to be DOT-accredited,” Catalbas said.
Other benefits of DOT-accredited establishments include technical/security/facilitation assistance, being prioritized in DOT training programs and inclusion in the promotional and marketing programs of DOT in the Philippines and abroad./PN
