More Boracay hotels cleared to operate

MANILA, Philippines — Eleven more Boracay accommodation establishments have been cleared to operate on the island as the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF) continues to give the go signal to compliant hotels.

An updated list released by the Department of Tourism (DOT) yesterday showed there are now 279 hotels with 9,868 rooms that are allowed to accept visitors.

The BIATF reiterated that only those 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.

“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 complied with 100 percent,” Puyat said.

The task force urged the public to avoid booking with establishments that have no permits from the DOT, DENR and DILG.

Puyat said they are 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, earlier told The STAR that there is no need to limit private companies from investing in tourist destinations as long as these firms comply with the regulations.

The government is limiting the number of tourists in Boracay to ensure the sustainability of the island, which was reopened in October after it was closed for rehabilitation for six months.