DOT: Duterte to visit Boracay on March 12 in bid to boost local tourism
MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte is set to visit Boracay on March 12 in a bid to boost domestic tourism amid the global panic caused by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the Department of Tourism (DOT) said Wednesday.
DOT Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said in a press conference that the President is expected to “look at the changes in Boracay,” which underwent a six-month rehabilitation from April to October 2018.
“On March 12, pupunta si Presidente Duterte sa Boracay (President Duterte will visit Boracay) for the first time since it opened para to show that it is safe,” Romulo-Puyat said.
“He will look at the changes in Boracay. We will look at sa problema lagi (the usual problems), ‘yung (the) medical facility. We’ve already fixed the medical facility there,” she added.
It was previously announced that Duterte will visit key tourist destinations in the country to promote local tourism in the midst of travel woes brought by the COVID-19 outbreak. Aside from Boracay, Duterte might also visit Cebu and Bohol.
Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, meanwhile, said the DOT could lose an estimated P42.9 billion for the first four months of 2020 due to the COVID-19 scare.
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