Boracay offers COVID-19 booster shots to tourists – local or foreign

THE ISLAND AWAITS | Some beach spots on Boracay Island are still empty in this photo taken on Feb. 10. Only two days later, 20 foreign tourists have returned to the resort island in nearly two years, after travel restrictions have been relaxed for fully vaccinated travelers from other countries. | Photo by JACK JARILLA

ILOILO CITY, Iloilo, Philippines — The world-famous Boracay offers COVID-19 booster shots to tourists, local or foreign.

The free booster jabs for fully-vaccinated leisure travelers are being offered under Resbakuna sa Botika, a government program that provides booster shots in pharmacies.

The program was launched on the island on Feb. 11  by Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, Secretaries Vince Dizon and Carlito Galvez Jr. of the National Task Force Against COVID-19, and local officials.

The vaccination for children aged 5 to 11, or the Resbakuna KIDS program, was also opened on the same date.

Puyat said the two COVID-19 vaccination programs would “add another layer of protection” amid the loosening of travel restrictions.

Fully vaccinated foreign tourists from visa-free countries have been allowed to visit the country starting Feb. 10 and enter Boracay Island without going through the previously required COVID-19 swab test.

Boosting confidence

“We expect Boracay Island, our crown jewel of tourism, to be once again filled up with travelers from around the world. The Resbakuna sa Botika program will provide an added layer of protection to the island’s domestic visitors. This will impact the tourism industry and all the Filipinos whose livelihoods depend on tourism,” Romulo-Puyat said in a statement.

“Without a doubt, this program, which makes it even more convenient for the island’s population to gain access to lifesaving vaccines, will help bring the boosted vaccination rate closer to 100 percent much faster than before,” she added.

As of Feb. 10, 7,910, or 102.51 percent of the targeted population of tourism workers on the island were fully vaccinated while 2,671, or 15.29 percent received booster shots, according to the Department of Tourism.

“This number is expected to boost the confidence of tourists in traveling to Boracay, knowing that the people who make their stay wonderful are protected,” Romulo-Puyat said.

She said a total of 12,956 rooms in 314 accredited accommodation establishments in Boracay are available for local and foreign guests.

SUNDOWN GLOW | Sunset watching on Boracay Island remains a must-do for tourists, as captured in this photo taken on Feb. 10, the day Some beach sections of Boracay Island were still empty in this photo taken on Feb. 10, the same day travel restriction for foreign visitors was eased. By Feb. 12, some 20 foreign tourists have returned to Boracay after travel restrictions were relaxed for travelers who were fully vaccinated against COVID-19. | PHOTO: Jack Jarilla

Few arrivals

Foreign tourist arrivals have been minimal since travel restrictions were relaxed.

Twenty tourists from Belgium, Germany, South Korea, United Kingdom and the United States arrived on Boracay Island between Feb. 11 and Feb. 12, according to data from the tourism office of Malay town, which has jurisdiction over the island.

They were the first foreign tourists on the island since nearly two years after the travel and quarantine restrictions were imposed starting March 2020.

From a pandemic-high of 113,596 tourist arrivals in December last year, tourist arrivals in Boracay slumped to 35,799 due to the reimposed strict travel restrictions following the surge in cases brought by the COVID-19 Omicron variant. During the first six days of February, 8,449 have visited the island.

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