19 more Boracay hotels allowed to operate

MANILA, Philippines — More accommodation establishments in Boracay have been cleared to accept guests as they have complied with the requirements set by the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF).

In an updated list released by the Department of Tourism (DOT) over the weekend, 19 more hotels were added to the list of accommodation establishments allowed to operate on the resort island.

The figure brought the total number of establishments to 211 or  8,739 rooms.

The task force reiterated that only accommodation establishments that have complied with the requirements set by the departments of environment and natural resources (DENR), interior and local government (DILG) and DOT are allowed to operate.

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat earlier said the BIATF would continue to accredit compliant accommodation establishments that pass the standards of the agency.

“More rooms will be available as we continue with Phase 2 and 3 of the Boracay rehabilitation. We are making sure the task force’s requirements are 100 percent complied with,” Puyat said.

The BIATF earlier urged the public to avoid booking with establishments that have not yet secured the necessary clearances and permits from the DOT, DENR and DILG.

Puyat said they were not setting a limit on the number of accredited accommodation establishments.

Fernando Roxas, executive director of the Asian Institute of Management Andrew Tan Center for Tourism, expressed support to the DOT’s plan of not limiting the number of hotels in Boracay.