The country opened the doors Friday to a spruced up and newly regulated Boracay, the famous holiday island that was shuttered to mend decades of harm caused by unchecked tourism.
The white sand idyll was closed to visitors in April after President Rodrigo Duterte called it a “cesspool” tainted by raw sewage flowing from hotels and restaurants straight into the sea.
But the rechristened resort has a slew of new rules that restrict boozing and smoking on the beach, limit the number of tourists and hotels, all while a renovation spree is ongoing.
READ: Boracay ready to reopen; government orders casino closure
Among the first visitors to land just after dawn on Friday were first-timers attracted by the prospect of a cleaner, less crowded island.
“When I saw pictures of tourists in Boracay lying like sardines in a can, I didn’t want to come here,” German visitor Josef Fuchs, 61, said. “Now I expect to have a few good days here.”
Once a quiet hideaway favored by backpackers, the tiny island was transformed by overdevelopment into a mass destination seeing some 2 million visitors per year.
Under the new regime, the beachfront is cleared of the masseuses, vendors, bonfires and even the builders of its famous photo-op sandcastles it was once crowded with.
Buildings were bulldozed and businesses pushed back to create a 30-meter buffer zone from the waterline.
Construction is everywhere with road repairs, hotels and resort renovations happening around the island.
All water sports save for swimming are also banned for the time being, while Boracay’s three casinos have been permanently shut down in line with Duterte’s wishes.
Boracay, which major tourist magazines consistently rate as among the world’s best beaches, measures a mere 1,000 hectares (2,470 acres).
Yet it was seeing up to 40,000 sun worshippers at peak times, with tourists spending $1 billion a year but also leaving mountains of garbage and an overflowing sewer system.
The new rules say 19,200 tourists will be allowed on the island at any one time, with the government aiming to enforce that by controlling the number of available hotel rooms.
Nearly 400 hotels and restaurants deemed to violate local environmental laws have already been ordered closed and airlines, as well as ferries, were told to restrict service to the area.
Drinking and smoking are banned and the huge multi-day beach parties dubbed “LaBoracay” that drew tens of thousands of tourists during the May 1 Labor Day weekend will be a thing of the past.
READ: New, improved Boracay: DENR chief exhorts people to learn some lesson
Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said last week she hopes the new Boracay will be the start of a “culture of sustainable tourism” in the Philippines, adding other tourist destinations will be next.
Tens of thousands of workers were left unemployed when the island’s tourism machine was deprived of visitors.
“Life will go back to normal. We will have money and work again,” said Jorge Flores, 45, a hotel worker. “In the past six months, hotels here were like… a ghost town.”
Other places in the region strained by mass tourism have also used closures as a tactic to protect the sites from destruction.
Thai authorities announced in October that the glittering bay immortalized in the movie “The Beach” will be closed indefinitely to allow it to recover from the impact of hordes of tourists.
The Palace on Friday said President Duterte was pleased with the outcome of the six-month intensive rehabilitation of Boracay Island.
Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said Boracay is both a lesson of political will as exhibited by Duterte and a lesson of neglect, misfeasance, and malfeasance in office.
He said he commended the secretaries involved in the task force that oversaw Boracay’s cleanup.
“It’s a lesson of political will and cooperation among the people of this country,” he said.
Puyat acknowledged the people’s cooperation, especially the hotel and resorts owners for adhering to the government’s regulations.
Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu said everyone should learn from the lessons brought by the island, saying that if not for the President’s directive, they would not have been able to restore 80 percent of the island’s pristine beauty.
DENR Undersecretary Jonas Leones said parties, sports activities, sand-castle making, and even dogs or pets will be prohibited on the island as part of the government’s new regulations.
The Palace said no casino or any gaming operations will be allowed on the island in line with Duterte’s order.
Duterte previously said he would personally visit Boracay to distribute eight hectares of land reform program certificates to 31 indigenous families.
The Department of Justice backed the policy of President Duterte to prohibit casino operations in Boracay.
In a legal opinion signed by Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, the DOJ said that the issuance of an executive order directing the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. to cancel existing provisional
licenses granted to casino firms planning to build hotels there.
Guevarra said an executive order is the “most expedient and effective” way to implement the “no casino” policy in Boracay without the need for a legislative measure.
Senator Nancy Binay, chairman of the Senate tourism committee, said the rehabilitation of Boracay was on track, and the government should move on to other destinations that require its attention.
Senator Juan Edgardo Angara agreed, saying the government should not stop at Boracay and must proceed to other famous tourist areas that need preventive improvements.
“The emerging success story that is the Boracay rehabilitation can be the template in rejuvenating other tourist spots but without the economic dislocation caused by the six-month shutdown of the world’s best island,” Angara said.
The DOT had previously written to the local government of El Nido, Palawan regarding the enforcement of environmental ordinances and to address environmental issues such as garbage disposal.
Government officials and stakeholders on Friday committed to bolster sustainable tourism as one of the world’s leading tourist destinations, Boracay Island, reopened its doors to the public on Friday.
“The reopening of Boracay is not just the culmination of our journey on sustainable tourism. Together, let us ensure that future generations, our children, our children's children, will still say that it’s more fun in the Philippines,” Puyat said in a speech during the formal reopening of Boracay.
Puyat said the Tourism department will be sustaining the gains made during the six-month island closure, adding that other countries were impressed with what the Philippines has accomplished.
Aklan Gov. Florencio Miraflores, meanwhile, said sacrifices had to be made during the shutdown, but they were all worth it.
“The past six months have been a difficult time for Aklan. The impact has been huge, but it’s now behind us,” he said.
The Boracay Inter-agency Task Force has vowed to strengthen the implementation of environmental ordinances that will boost sustainable tourism in the island.
The task force has given green light to some 157 accommodation establishments to accept visitors. With Rey Requejo, Macon Araneta, Nat Mariano, and PNA