GOLDEN HOUR | A couple on a paddleboard glides through the calm waters of Boracay Island amid the soothing backdrop of the setting sun on Jan. 29, 2022. The resort island in Malay, Aklan, is bracing for the arrival of local and foreign tourists as travel restrictions are eased. (File photo by JACK JARILLA(
MANILA, Philippines — Boracay has made it to a Time list titled “The world’s greatest places of 2022: 50 extraordinary destinations to explore,” which was posted on its website on Tuesday.
Boracay — already a popular tourist destination for its white-sand beaches — was one of eight destinations in Asia on the list. An aerial photo of a beach on the island has this caption: “Paradise reborn.”
The seven other Asian destinations, along with their descriptions are:
- Seoul: The smartest city
- Kerala, India: Ecotourism hot spot
- Ahmedabad, India: Higher Learning
- Trans Bhutan Trail in Bhutan: Breathtaking pilgrimage
- Bali, Indonesia: Resortapalooza!
- Kyushu Island, Japan: Volcanic Beauty
- Setouchi Islands, Japan: Immersed in art
For the full list of destinations, click this link: “The world’s greatest places of 2022.”
According to Time, it came up with the list — in which the places were not ranked — by asking its correspondents and contributors worldwide for their nominations, “with an eye toward those offering new and exciting experiences.”
The Time feature notes: “Many of the destinations are charting a path to economic recovery; this year paradise reopens on The Philippines’ Boracay Island, which had been closed for years due to overtourism and then the COVID-19 pandemic. Others are thriving, growing, and changing, like the luxe city of Doha, Qatar, which is opening 100 new hotels to accommodate 2022 World Cup spectators.”
In April 2018, then-President Rodrigo Duterte ordered Boracay Island — which he described as “a cesspool” — closed to tourists, local and foreign, for rehabilitation.
It partially reopened in October of the same year.
But when the COVID-19 pandemic was declared in 2020, the island was again closed to tourism starting in March due to various restrictions.
Then-Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat announced its reopening to tourists later in Ocober. But visitors were still subject to restrictions before being allowed entry — mainly, COVID-19 testing — and there was a limit to the number of visitors.
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