MANILA, Oct 11 (dpa): Boracay Island, among the Philippines’ most popular destinations thanks to its white sandy beaches, has reopened to more local tourists, nearly seven months since inter-island travel was halted in the country amid a coronavirus lockdown.
The holiday hotspot, once voted the best island in the world by Conde Nast Traveller magazine, is now open to tourists from all over the Philippines.
Until now, the island, 311km south of Manila, only allowed visitors from nearby provinces.
International travellers, still subject to entry restrictions, will have to wait, however.
Before the pandemic, the island had previously been shut down entirely after the country’s president condemned it as a “cesspool” and ordered the temporary closing to all visitors in 2018.
The government now hopes the reopening of Boracay would jump-start the revival of its tourism industry, which has been badly hit by the coronavirus outbreak.
“We call on all Filipinos to please bring your friends and families and enjoy our beautiful island,” said Frolibar Bautista, mayor of Malay town, which has jurisdiction over Boracay.
“Boracay is very beautiful now because it has been able to rest for many months,” he said.
Tourists need to pre-register and submit a negative Covid-19 test to be allowed to travel to Boracay, said presidential spokesman Harry Roque. Tourists will then get a QR code, which they have to present upon arrival, he added.
Roque stressed that the resumption of domestic tourism does not mean that the threat of Covid-19 has disappeared.
“It means that we need to balance the truth that people need to work, and this can happen in the tourism sector if we take care of our health,” he said.
The number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the Philippines surged to 334,770 with an additional 2,996 reported by the Health Ministry on Friday night.
Of the 2,996 newly confirmed infections, the ministry said that 2,554 or 85 percent occurred “within the recent 14 days” from Sept. 26 to Oct. 9.
The ministry said that the number of recoveries rose to 275,307 after 1,045 more patients recovered. Meanwhile, 83 more patients died from Covid-19, bringing the total death toll to 6,152.
Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano stressed that while Boracay was now opened to tourists, parties and organized sports activities were still not allowed. – dpa
Read More: ‘World’s best island’ reopens to local tourists in Philippines