‘434 foreigners visited Boracay since reopening’

MANILA, Philippines — Only a few foreign tourists have visited Boracay since the world-famous island was reopened to international travelers last month or two years after it was closed due to the COVID pandemic.

Of the 80,882 travelers who flew to Boracay in February, only 434 were foreigners, data from the municipal tourism office of Malay, Aklan showed.

A majority of the foreigners came from the United States with 136, followed by Germany with 39, the United Kingdom with 37, Canada with 27 and Australia with 23.

Also included in the tally were six tourists from China and three from India. Both countries do not enjoy visa-free entry privilege in the Philippines.

The Department of Tourism assured international travelers that their visit to Boracay would be free from inconvenience.

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said the country is the first in Asia to reopen its borders to international travelers, who should be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before entry.

Puyat said foreign tourists could visit all reopened destinations in the country, provided they comply with the requirements set by the local government units.

The country started welcoming foreign tourists on Feb. 10, following approval by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Tourists should be fully vaccinated against COVID and test negative for the virus two days before leaving their point of origin.
They would be required to present proof of complete COVID vaccination, negative RT-PCR test result, return ticket and travel insurance.

Tourists will not be required to undergo quarantine, but will be asked to monitor themselves for any COVID symptom.

Should they feel unwell, they must report to the local government unit that has jurisdiction over the area they are visiting.