Puyat: Boracay no longer a ‘party place’ when it reopens Oct. 26

As Boracay island is set to reopen on October 26, the Department of Tourism on Wednesday said it would no longer be a “party place.”

“It won’t be like a really party place anymore. We want it to be more as it is, we want it to be more peaceful. We want to promote sustainable tourism,” Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said in an interview with ABS CBN News Channel

According to previous data from the tourism department, about 45,000 tourists enter Boracay every a day.

Puyat said she is set to have a meeting together with Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu and Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año to discuss how best to limit the number of visitors to the island.

Puyat also sees no reason to establish more resorts in the island as government is aiming to lower the island’s carrying capacity.

Aside from the call to limit the number of tourists entering the island, Puyat said only 5,000 hotel rooms are expected to comply with environmental laws.

Puyat however assured the public planning to go to the island that there are enough rooms to accommodate them when it reopens.

“I think with the carrying capacity, we will be limiting the tourists entering so it doesn’t really make sense to put up more resorts,” Puyat said.  /muf