MANILA – The world-famous Boracay Island in Malay, Aklan is reopening to more visitors beginning Oct. 1 as authorities bank on locals to revive the country’s pandemic-hit tourism sector.
Tourists from areas under general community quarantine (GCQ), including Metro Manila, will be allowed on the island next month, according to Tourism secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat.
But they will be required to present a negative confirmatory test result for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) taken 48 to 72 hours prior to their travel, Puyat said.
She added that airlines are advised to use the Godofredo P. Ramos Airport in Caticlan as the sole airport of entry to Boracay.
Some 199 hotels and resorts in the island with a total of 4,416 rooms have been allowed to operate since June, the official said.
In June, the island opened to residents of Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Negros Occidental, Bacolod and Iloilo. It had closed last March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Boracay Island is “well prepared” to accept more tourists, noting that safety protocols have already been put in place, according to Interior secretary Eduardo Año.
He said there is an isolation facility on the island and those suspected or confirmed to have the infectious disease will have to leave the place and would be brought to the capital town Kalibo.
“Masasabi natin come Oct. 1, prepared na ang Boracay sa domestic tourists even from GCQ areas pupuwede,” said Año.
For his part, acting Malay mayor Frolibar Bautista said the local government unit is still awaiting formal approval by the country’s coronavirus task force of their recommendation to open the doors of the Western Visayas island to more visitors.
This latest development, once approved by the IATF-EID, will be a welcome development for the Tourism Congress of the Philippines (TCP), recognizing the double whammy suffered by Boracay – first being closed for six months in 2018 for a government-led rehabilitation effort, then second, the Covid-19 crisis which led to international travel restrictions around the world.
“This is a bold move by the province of Aklan and Boracay. It is a step towards reopening the country to tourism and getting the economy back on track. We wish them the best of luck on this endeavor,” said TCP President Jose Clemente III.
Clemente, however, reminded stakeholders on the island and its visitors “to strictly observe health guidelines and protocols tonsure a safe and healthy experience.”/PN
