Tourism groups: Boracay closure will impact PH tourism efforts

THE proposal of President Rodrigo Duterte to impose a total closure of Boracay would directly affect the livelihood of nearly 20,000 people on the island, tourism groups lamented on Thursday.

This was what Boracay tourism stakeholders that included the Hotel Sales and Marketing Association, Philippine Tour Operators Association Inc., Philippine Travel Agencies Association, and the Tourism Congress of the Philippines stated during a press conference in Makati.

Citing data from the Boracay Foundation, among those to be affected by the total closure, according to the groups, are employees of hotels, resorts, restaurants, dive shops, souvenir shops, as well as transport providers, beach masseurs, tattoo artists, and vendors.

“On top of this are the families and dependents of these workers. The impact on individual lives cannot be ignored,” the groups said in a joint statement which was read before the media.

In addition, the groups also noted that Boracay’s tourism industry has generated P56 billion in revenue and makes up 20 percent of the country’s “total tourism receipts.”

“The loss of this revenue contribution in the short-term may not be felt immediately but the recovery as Boracay tries to regain its place as a major destination will be an uphill climb,” they said.

“The recovery of business may take years to return to its present levels,” the groups added.

According to the groups, further efforts to sell the Philippines as a tourism destination, would be “greatly compromised” by Boracay’s total closure.

If a closure would be in place, the groups said that tourists would be “diverted elsewhere,” and the country’s marketing efforts would “all come to naught.”