Happy hour no more: Boracay’s nightlife suffers amid island closure
AKLAN, Philippines — Once likened to top party islands in the world like Spain’s Ibiza, Boracay island’s party scene has changed so much after the government barred the tourists from entering the island last April 26.
From an island with all-day partying, Boracay has almost turned into a ghost town.
Prior to the island closure, it was packed with thousands of tourists and had a lively nightlife. However, during the closure, the nightlife was tamed and at night, only few restaurants and bars maintained their business operations despite the huge drop in patrons.
In June this year, just two months into closure, Philstar.com visited the island and witnessed this change.
There are more or less only ten restaurants and bars operating and serving drinks at the beach front night. Most establishments close early due to lack of customers.
Some establishments stopped operations to renovate while others just closed down for lack of customers.
Italian chef Matteo d’ Ursi, who was assigned to the island two months before the closure said he also witnessed the huge change in Boracay’s nightlife.
“I look [at] the difference from the starting day to months ago, before the closure. And, every day, we have a full-booked. From now, no more people. No more,” Aria’s D’Ursi told Philstar.com in June.
The foreigner chef said only five percent of their ordinary guests visit their restaurant so it prompted them to let go almost half of the entire staff because they no longer have enough work.
Jonalyn Napelda, acting supervisor of local restaurant chain, Hoy! Panga, also cited that the lack of tourists hurt their business.
“Kasi before marami talagang turista saka masaya. Nakakamiss lang din ‘yung dati,” she said.
While their local restaurant continues to operate, Napelda said its owners also mulled closing the restaurant. She cited that their restaurant who once catered to tourist now only serve tourist who have businesses in the islands, as well as locals who continue to patronize them.
Even establishment Epic Bar that used to hold parties every night also closed amid the closure. This is to pave way for the bar’s rehabilitation and compliance with the government’s environment standards.
Despite this, some businesses and artists continued to thrive and kept the nightlife alive.
Band members from various establishments formed a group now called “Calamity Survival Band” and are now performing in one of the restaurant and sports bar near Boracay Station 2.
READ: Show must go on: How Boracay's closure created the Calamity Survival Band
The band’s vocalist and keyboardist Dean Sta. Maria told Philstar.com that they just adjusted the time of performance and made it earlier.
Before they usually start at 8 p.m. and end at 1 a.m., but during the closure they now start at 6:30 p.m. and end at 9 or 9:30 p.m.
Another band member, Emman Alim, guitarist and vocalist, said the owner just wanted to maintain the bar’s liveliness.
“Kini-keep lang ng may-ari, gusto niya may music pa rin,” Alim said.
The band noted that the nightlife scene is “close to zero.”
“This is just like, I think five percent of the regular night,” Sta. Maria said, adding that it used to be fully booked with several walk-in customers.
“Kawawa talaga. ‘Yung night life dito ‘pagdating sa mga artist, talagang totally zero. Hindi naman zero, nandito kami,” guitarist and vocalist Mike Deniega said.
Deniega added that their talent fee also suffered as they are now just receiving 20 percent of what they used to earn.
In 2012, online travel advisor Cheapflights.com named Boracay as the third top party beaches around the world.
According to Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, the island also used to draw around 60,000 to 70,000 tourists in a day during the island’s celebration of labor day called “La Boracay.” This happens every May 1.
However, since the island’s pollution woes was highlighted by the president and it was closed for environment restoration and rehabilitation, the fate of the island’s nightlife is still at stake as the government said it would no longer allow parties and alcohols.
READ: DOT bans parties, smoking, drinking in Boracay
Puyat said the government will strictly impose the law once the island reopens by October 26. She said there will be no more La Boracay parties, the establishments shall follow 25-meter easement and there will be no more tables and chairs near the beach because that’s against the water code.
How the new "happy hour" looks like. Philstar.com/Rosette Adel
The tourism chief also wanted to promote sustainable tourism for the island to preserve its environment.
“But definitely, it won’t be like a really party place anymore. We want it to be as it is, more peaceful. We want to promote sustainable tourism,” Puyat said in August.
Last September 12, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the inter-agency task force formed to oversee the rehabilitation of Boracay, led by the Environment and Natural Resources agency, has cited the need to limit the number of visitors on the island so it would not exceed its capacity.
Roque said the inter-agency task force recommended that the island shall maintain the tourism carrying capacity of 19,215 persons per day and 6,405 tourist arrivals per day.
The island is set to have a dry-run of reopening on October 15 with only 1,000 rooms available to the public but it will have its soft-opening on October 26.
- Latest
- Trending
