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The Philippines reopened Friday Friday the island of Boracay, ending a six-month shutdown to clean up tourism on its once pristine beaches.
But do not expect a quick return in good or bad weather: there are now limits to the number of people allowed on the island and new restrictions on the behavior of tourists.
The countries of Southeast Asia are struggling to cope with a resurgence of tourism that pollutes their most idyllic destinations. Low-cost air travel and rising average incomes in Asia, particularly in China, have led to an increase in the number of visitors to tropical islands such as Boracay, joining Westerners who had swept past waves of tourism in places where local authorities often favored income over the environment.
In Boracay, officials said the situation had deteriorated so badly that there were dangerous levels of human excreta in the water. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte called the island a "cesspool" before ordering its closure.
The authorities dismantled buildings that encroached on the beaches, rebuilt roads, built sewers and forced the resettlement of thousands of local residents whose livelihoods depended on the multitude of backpackers.
Now, the beaches have become white and calm, while the construction of improved infrastructure continues. Local governor Florencio Miraflores said on Friday that the reopening of the island was a source of pride, but the closure had damaged the local economy. "Many of our people have been displaced," he said. "The companies have suffered. And the impact on all sectors of the province has been enormous. ''
The total number of visitors allowed on the island – once more than two million a year – has been reduced. Only about 6,000 people will be allowed to enter each day, with the island's capacity at a given moment being limited to about 19,000, half the number of people who have invaded its beaches during the peak periods of previous years.
Strict new rules prohibit smoking in public places, water sports will be regulated and fires, fireworks and electric lights will be prohibited on the beach. Companies will only be allowed to open if they have been certified in accordance with the new requirements.
Visitors gather on the beach for the sunset in Boracay on Friday.
Photo:
Joeal Calupitan / Associated Press
In the Philippines, rehabilitation authorities say Boracay is only their first target and they will consider similar treatment in other places.
Similar challenges have hit other popular beach destinations in Southeast Asia. Thailand has closed indefinitely Maya Bay, featured in Leonardo DiCaprio's movie "The Beach". Last year, Indonesia had declared an "emergency situation" in Bali and mobilized thousands of volunteers to remove a few million tons of plastic that were found in the ocean off of Indonesia every year.
Environmentalists said the closure of Boracay, while imperfect, had been a valuable lesson for other countries to strike a balance between economic development through tourism and sustainability. "Boracay is not an isolated problem," said Vince Cinches, campaign and ocean manager at Greenpeace in the Philippines. "We are happy that this has happened," he said, but "we also call for strong accountability."
Write to Jake Maxwell Watts at [email protected]
