UPDATE OF THE BELOW UPDATE (April 2020)... With the current pandemic, Boracay is once again sadly closed to visiting tourists, as indeed is the Philippines as a whole. We all look forward to things improving, sooner rather than later we hope, and for this wonderful island to be welcoming visitors again. Until then, don't stop making your future plans, and get in touch with us if we can assist in any way.
UPDATE: Boracay island is once again "Open for Business"!
The island, one of the most popular Philippines destinations for tourists, has benefitted from improvements to infrastructure, and special attention to the standards of hotels and resorts. At Philippine Trails, we arrange many tours and vacations that include Boracay, and its popularity is as high as ever. Indeed, our webpage about the island is one of the most visited.
Boracay, described as "the jewel in the crown of Philippines tourism", was closed to tourists for a period of six months in 2018.
The closure was ordered by Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippines' president, and it took effect from 26 April 2018, and didn't reopen until October of that year.
The massive surge in popularity for the island, in a relatively short period of time, had brought about a strain on its services. During the period of its closure, work was undertaken by various public bodies on areas such as waste-management, in a concerted effort to improve Boracay's infrastructure.
Three agencies - the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, and the Department of Tourism jointly recommended the shutdown of Boracay, which was timed to coincide with the "low season".
During the shut-down, alternative destinations within the Philippines gained popularity, including Puerto Galera, Bohol, Cebu, Ilocos, and El Nido.
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