Stakeholders open to annual 1-month closure of Boracay

MANILA, Philippines — The proposed monthlong closure of Boracay every year is viable as far as industry stakeholders are concerned.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año proposed the annual break or healing period to allow the island to rehabilitate itself.

“I agree with it as it is being done in some tourist destinations,” Jose Clemente III, Tourism Congress of the Philippines president told The STAR.

However, Clemente said the date of the closure should be determined in consultation with various stakeholders to allow owners of establishments to prepare and inform their clients.

Fernando Roxas, executive director of the Asian Institute of Management Andrew Tan Center for Tourism, is also amenable to the proposal.

“Tourism in the Philippines is largely seasonal because we have a pronounced typhoon season unlike Indonesia or Thailand,” Roxas said.

“Closing Boracay during its leanest month for repairs and cleanup is an efficient way to maintain its facilities and allow the natural systems to recover,” Roxas added.

Boracay, which President Duterte had described as a ”cesspool,” was reopened to tourists on Oct. 26 after it was rehabilitated for six months.

The Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force said the closure of the island was only the first phase of its two-year rehabilitation program.

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