Boracay Island, the white-sand paradise within the Philippines, reopened to tourists on Friday after six months of renovation and rehabilitation.
The white-sand idyll was closed to visitors in April when President Rodrigo Duterte called it a “cesspool” contaminated by untreated sewage flowing from hotels and restaurants straight into the ocean.
Boracay, which major travel magazines consistently rank amongst one of the best beaches on the earth, covers an area of just 1,000 hectares. But at peak times, as much as 40,000 sun worshipers visited, and while tourists spent $1 billion a 12 months, in addition they left behind mountains of garbage and an overflowing sewage system.
“Even if there are a variety of renovations and it is not perfect yet, while you go to the beach you realize that it was price closing it for six months,” said 30-year-old tourist Roan Tadle from Manila to Asia News Channel.
Under the brand new regime, the beach can be cleared of masseurs, vendors, bonfires and even builders of the famous photo sandcastles with which it was once crowded.
Buildings were demolished and businesses pushed back to create a 30-meter buffer zone from the waterline.
According to CNN Philippinesa month before opening, authorities declared Boracay’s waters protected and clean. Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu said E. coli levels on White Beach and the eastern a part of the island are actually well below the utmost tolerable level.
New rules
To prevent a repeat of Boracay’s sad state of affairs, the federal government has established recent rules for visitors who wish to catch a glimpse of this world-famous tourist attraction.
Boracay could receive 19,000 visitors day-after-day. However, this number can be reduced to simply 6,000 starting with the soft opening on October 15, as studies have shown that Boracay’s capability is simply 6,000.
All water sports except swimming are also banned for now, and three casinos in Boracay have been permanently closed according to Duterte’s wishes.
Drinking and smoking are prohibited on the beach, and the large, multi-day beach parties referred to as LaBoracay that drew tens of 1000’s of tourists over the May 1 Labor Day weekend will change into a thing of the past.
“I talked to the locals. The best thing they told me was that it was Boracay 30 years ago,” said Bern Tourism Secretary Romulo Puyat. CNN Philippines days before the soft opening.
