Boracay exceeds tourist carrying capacity – DOT

MANILA, Philippines — Breaching crowd limitation due to the COVID pandemic, the world-famous tourist destination Boracay reportedly went beyond its carrying capacity during the Holy Week.

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said 21,252 tourists arrived on the island on Thursday and 22,519 more on Friday.

Puyat said Boracay is limited to about 19,000 vacationers only per day, which was set by the government after the island underwent rehabilitation in 2018.

The province of Aklan, where Boracay is located, is under COVID Alert Level 1 until April 30.

Under Alert Level 1, business establishment may accept customers in their full seating capacities, provided health and safety protocols such as wearing of face masks and physical distancing must still be observed.

The DOT said it would demand an explanation from the mayor of Malay town on why Boracay’s carrying capacity was breached.

The tourism agency said it has informed the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) about the issue.

The DILG and the DENR are members of the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force, which handled the island’s rehabilitation efforts.