A better and more sustainable Boracay. Photo / Lars Ruecker, Getty Images
A better and more sustainable Boracay. Photo / Lars Ruecker, Getty Images
Eden like, Boracay was an island paradise.
Voted by Conde Nast Traveller as the "world's best island" it was a paradise that was not going to last. At its peak Boracay was attracting 6400 tourists a day.
Fallen from grace, its swimwear-clad guests were expelled when daily tourist numbers becametoo much to bear.
In February, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte issued an almost biblical proclamation in which he called the island a "cesspool" and told Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu "I'll give you six months" to clean up the island's act.
And like that, 10 square km was emptied of tourists for half a year, giving the island time to recover and for the Philippines to rethink their tourism strategy.
However, the Philippines Department of Tourism believes enough time has elapsed to allow the island to heal, saying "a better and more sustainable Boracay is set to welcome back visitors on October 26."
Cesspool: Philippines' President Rodrigo Duterte. Photo / Vyacheslav Prokofyev, Tass via Getty Images
Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, from the department of tourism told The Philippine Daily Inquirer to manage expectations in preparation for a "soft launch."
"We are managing expectations. It will be open but don't expect all the roads to be completed," she said.
The Philippian island is due to have five thousand extra hotel rooms completed by this October opening, but Boracay is not expected to be fully 'open' until the end of 2019.
Part of this rehabilitation involves a clean-up of the island's act as well as its beaches. In the reopened resort there will be no drinking or smoking.
"Drinking and smoking on the white beach would also be strictly prohibited," said Romulo-Puyat, adding "There will be no casinos in Boracay."
This news comes after the protesting of plans for a US$500m casino project by Galaxy Entertainment Group, a development which was strongly opposed by the Catholic Church in Aklan.
Managing expectations: Boracay will have a soft-launch at the end of October. Photo / Getty Images
Boracay will be reopening in October, but it will not be the same party island people knew.
The infamous Labor Day parties that caused 70,000 tourist surges to the island may be a thing of the past. As the date for the "soft launch" is revealed there is still no word as to the number of people allowed onto the island, and flights are limited.
