ILOILO City – The expected reopening of the world-famous Boracay Island in Malay, Aklan to Western Visayas tourists starting Tuesday will greatly lift the town’s economy.
Malay mayor Frolibar Bautista underscored this last week, saying the town had lost about P12 billion following the halt of operations in the famed resort island.
“The town has lost its income. The labor sector and the private sector were badly hit due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19),” Bautista said.
As of June 11, the local government unit (LGU) has received 90 letters of intent from some of the resort island’s accredited establishments.
According to Bautista, the LGU will ensure that tourists have pre-booked their hotels to avoid a surge in the number of visitors.
“One cannot enter Boracay without pre-booking. Tourists will be screened at the Caticlan port and they will be required (a) confirmation voucher (from the accommodation establishment where they will stay),” he said.
Bautista added that minimum health protocols such as wearing of face masks and observing strict physical distancing and proper hygiene remain strictly implemented in the world-class island.
The mayor assured tourists that Boracay Island is free from the virus as the town’s confirmed COVID-19 case already recovered.
“We will be opening for Region 6 (Western Visayas). Boracay is not only ours. It belongs to Region 6. We should love it as the tourism industry can help us a lot,” he said.
We are happy because in spite of the happenings, the cooperation of our locals helped us achieve the objectives. We are surpassing the COVID-19 problem,” Bautista added. (With a report from PNA/PN)
