Boracay tourist center inaugurated

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Municipality of Malay jointly inaugurated recently the Boracay Tourist Information and Assistance Centre (BTIAC) to better address the various information, safety and security concerns of tourists in the popular island.

The inauguration was attended by Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez, Jr., Malay Mayor John Yap, Police Chief Inspector Christopher Prangan, DOT officials, private sector partners Smart Communications and TAO Corp., and other private sector representatives. 

The Center was inaugurated at a very opportune time with the unfolding of the summer season as throngs of domestic and foreign tourists have started flocking to the popular party-island in the Philippines. 

“Boracay is very much the face of Philippine tourism today: beauty and constant improvement in action. And that is what we will continue to work on,” Jimenez said.  

The Center aims to deliver more accurate and up-to-date tourism-related information to visitors, as well as strengthen risk reduction and management systems for the safety and security of tourists. 

The Center is located at the beach front of Station 2, formerly Boracay Boat Station 2, in Barangay Balabag. 

Smart Communications volunteered to renovate the old boat station and transformed it into the Information Center.

City Watch Snaptech, an expert in rendering emergency and medical response services, has been tapped to conduct basic response seminars for volunteers in the island.

Lifeguard Rescue Team will be on alert for technical rescues. 

As an adjunct to this effort, the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) Tourist Assistance Desks will serve to complement the newly-launched Center.

DOT Undersecretary Maria Victoria Jasmin said, “We are installing tourist information and emergency medical response counters in all these destinations, and we are piloting it in Boracay, considering it has high tourist traffic all year-round. This is a collaborative project of the DOT, the local government of Malay and the private sector, represented by the Lifeguard Rescue Team, City Watch Snaptech, and Smart Communications.”

In inaugurating the Center, Jimenez proudly exclaimed: “Boracay is a genuine Filipino brand. What does that mean? When people walk into a travel agency in another country, before they can even say ‘Philippines’ they already say ‘Boracay’.”

Jimenez encouraged Boracay stakeholders to continue being the inspiration for the rest of the country. “Be the Boracay we will always be proud of.”