After months-long rehabilitation efforts, Boracay's powdery white shores are spotless, without a tinge of green algae creeping on its coasts. Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu also said that fecal coliform level has significantly gone down during the closure.
But a look on the island's inside road network tells a different story. Construction works are still ongoing left and right – with the government and establishments racing against time to fix what they can.
Some businesses remain closed as well, pending permits from the Inter-agency Task Force. The government is implementing a "no compliance, no opening" policy to ensure that establishments follow rules and regulations.
Business owners are not expecting that much visitors during the reopening anyway, they said. Tourism Secretary Bernadette Puyat had earlier asked airlines to reduce the number of flights to Kalibo and Caticlan in Aklan province, below their usual number of trips prior to the closure.
Travel around Boracay is still a challenge, with some streets still closed for road widening works. Only a part of the Boracay Circumferential Road – from Cagban Port to Hue Hotel – is open on Friday, October 26.
The government said rehabilitation of the island will be completed by the end of 2019, but they have set up rules to prevent a relapse to the "old" Boracay. (READ: What to expect when Boracay reopens on October 26)
Under the guidelines, only 19,215 tourists will be allowed on the island at any given time. The government said it would limit entry, with around 6,400 allowed to enter per day, assuming that they would stay for at least 3 days. (IN CHARTS: Boracay is bursting at the seams)
Visitors will also have limited hotels and resorts to choose from, with only 116 accommodations with 5,677 rooms open for bookings as of October 19. The number is heavily slashed from the previous 525 hotels in the island with over 14,000 rooms.
The annual Labor Day party, dubbed Laboracay, is now a thing of the past, along with the usual beachfront parties that the island was known for.
Despite the shutdown, foreign tourist arrivals in the Philippines still went up to 4.84 million in September. Tourism officials are confident that the year-end target of 7.5 million will be achieved. – Rappler.com
SOURCE: https://www.rappler.com/nation/215180-boracay-now-open-october-26-2018
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