Here are things we suggest you do in Boracay
The internationally acclaimed TIME magazine published last July its World's Greatest Places issue featuring far-flung and familiar spots all over the world. Considering the reopening of Boracay Island in the Philippines at the height of the pandemic, the famed island landed on the coveted roster of recommended destinations for 2022.
"The Department of Tourism affirms its pride and honour as Boracay Island once again proved its allure as a tourist haven. Such recognition will surely help us attain our goal of regaining our position in the global market," the newly-inducted Tourism secretary Christina Garcia Frasco wrote in a statement.
"Surely, the Philippines has a multitude of sites and tourism activities that we could offer to the world. And, in addition to natural resources, we look forward as well to developing and promoting the talents of our people and the products that have the potential for national and global marketability," she added.
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Undisputably the country's most frequented beach destination, Boracay Island is definitely one of the world's greatest places to be. Famed for its stretch of powdery white sand and crystal clear waters, it has been the hub of many luxury resorts, bars, and restaurants. People would often be nostalgic about Boracay's unadulterated look in the '80s and '90s and campaign for the protection of the said beach and its indigenous communities.
Hence by virtue of Proclamation number 475 in 2018 by former President Rodrigo Duterte, a state of calamity was put into effect in the three barangays in the municipality of Malay in Aklan, where Boracay is located. It was enacted to resolve the worsening sewage conditions of the beach. For months, the island was closed to visitors, and many hotels and restaurants did their part in the massive rehabilitation program. Gradually, the restriction eased, and the island opened to local visitors from the Visayas. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the island was put under quarantine. Eventually, Boracay braved to reopen in 2020 amid the ongoing pandemic as the government started finding ways for the economy to gradually recover. At the time, the rehabilitation program was still ongoing and was eyed to finish this 2022.
"It [the pandemic] took a severe toll on the local economy, but the silver lining was that this four-square-mile speck in the Visayas Island chain had proper time to truly recover," wrote Charlie Campbell of TIME. "As of February 2022, international visitors can finally revel in this revamped, recuperated, natural playground after what was effectively a three-year convalescence. Locals report the return of flora and fauna, like sea turtles, and hospitality has come back just spectacularly," he continued.
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