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A father and his son create sand formations on the beach at sunset on the island of Boracay, Philippines on Friday, October 26, 2018. On the first day of the tour, tourists sailed to this popular destination . Authorities reopened the resort after a six-month shutdown of clean water that the Philippine president had dubbed "cesspool" because of overcrowding and development. (Joeal Calupitan / Associated Press)
BORACAY, Philippines – Tour-laden boats headed to Boracay Island, Philippines, which reopened after a six-month shutdown that the president had condemned for clean water, called a "cesspool" year because of overcrowding, holidays and neglect.
Island officials, in Aklan's central province, have imposed new rules to regulate the influx of visitors and parties to the beach, to decongest seaside resorts, and to keep tourists in check. prevent the discharge of wastewater into turquoise waters. In accordance with the new rules, only a portion of the hotels and other businesses in Boracay have reopened and a fraction of the more than 20,000 workers who have lost their jobs has been rehired.
"Let's treat the island as our home. Keep it clean and pristine. Do not drink alcohol and do not smoke on the beach, do not throw rubbish, "Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat said in a message to tourists.
Cabinet officials and local celebrities attended a ceremony marking "the smooth opening" of Boracay on a white sand beach near a harbor where ferries landed tourists.
The German tourist Lora Hoerhammer, among the first foreign visitors to set foot on the cooled island, supported the six-month closure. "We said wow, it's a good thing to really close all the environment so that nature can rest for a second and that people can clean everywhere," said German, aged 27 years old. "Everyone will be able to come back and feel that it's a better place for everyone."
Visitors will be limited to about 6,000 visitors a day and will be required to sign an oath that complies with the new rules, especially with regard to the disposal of waste and the prohibition of alcohol, smoking, smoking and drinking. bonfires and wild parties on the beach, officials said.
After meeting the regulations, only 157 of the hundreds of hotels, inns, restaurants and souvenir shops in Boracay have reopened, including by connecting to authorized sewer lines and maintaining a distance of 30 meters from the sea. .
Gil delos Santos, whose family owns a 10-room inn called Roy's Rendezvous, a travel and ferry agency, welcomed the reopening of Boracay.
"The weather is nice and the water is so clear. It's the best way to welcome a better Boracay, "said 42-year-old delos Santos." It's as if Boracay got a restart. "
President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the closure of Boracay in February for rehabilitation reasons and said the waste dumped into the sea had turned its waters into a "cesspool".
During the closure, the authorities discovered a hidden sewer pipe spilling its waste directly into the coastal waters and two hotels built in restricted wetlands. Some stations were demolished because they had entered a non-construction zone in front of the sea – one of many violations that had not been controlled for years in one of the country's greatest tourist attractions.
A mayor has been suspended and 16 other officials have been the subject of complaints of breach of duty due to the deterioration of Boracay.
Eduardo Ano, who heads the Ministry of Interior and Local Government, said the six months were too short for a complete overhaul of Boracay. Workers continued to widen the concrete roads after the drain and sewer pipes were laid when the island reopened, raising dust in the island's laid-back community.
Last year, more than 2 million tourists visited Boracay to enjoy its sandy beaches, spectacular sunsets and vibrant nightlife, generating around 56 billion pesos (1.3 billion dollars) of income. However, according to a government study, the influx and neglect threatened to turn Boracay into a "dead island" in less than ten years.
Other seaside resorts and Philippine tourist destinations suspected of violating environmental and safety regulations for years have also been warned of possible closures. These challenges are accompanied by huge revenues generated by tourism in Southeast Asia.
In Thailand, the authorities closed the bay made famous by the film "The Beach" by Leonardo DiCaprio to allow him to recover from the environmental damage caused by a deluge of tourists.
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Jim Gomez, an Associated Press writer in Manila, contributed to this report.
Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, disseminated, rewritten or redistributed.
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