Tourism chief reminds destinations to practice sustainable tourism

BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL

Tourism secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat wants to replicate the rehabilitation efforts in Boracay Island in other tourism destinations.

Among the tourist sites in the bucket list of government agencies to undergo massive clean-up are Palawan, Bohol and Siargao.

Boracay will partially open on October 26 after President Rodrigo Duterte closed the island to tourists on April 26 due to environmental issues.

Puyat said October 26 is the first phase or soft opening of Boracay while the second and third phases are scheduled on April and December next year.

“Ang Boracay ang naunang destination natin na engaged sa sustainable tourism. This is just the beginning for Boracay. Lahat ng tourism destinations sa bansa should practice sustainable tourism,” Puyat told CNN Philippines.

As of October 19, 115 hotels and resorts got the green light to operate on October 26 after securing their clearances, permits and accreditations from Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Tourism (DOT) and Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).

“Manage your expectations sa Boracay, mag-booking sa mga hotels and resorts sa listahan ng DOT. Itong mga accredited accommodation establishments ay bubukas sa October 26,” Puyat said.

Of the 58 local ordinances of Malay, Aklan, 38 are for environmental protection and 20 for zoning and construction, according to Interior secretary Eduardo Ano.  

“Ito ay halos hindi nasusunod sa isla ng mga establishments. Kailangan ang political will sa local governance para ma-implement ang ordinances. Wala tayong sacred cows sa isla,” Ano added.   

The Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force also inspected 2,669 establishments and demolished 200 illegal structures for shoreline easement during the rehabilitation.