The study on the carrying capacity of Boracay Island has been completed. It was carried out by a multidisciplinary team of researchers from the Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau and the University of the Philippines at Los Baños.

The study revealed that the carrying capacity of the island had been breached, leading to the generation of too much waste and the deterioration of water quality, among others.

The recreational areas, which include the beach and swimming areas can only accommodate so much number of persons on a daily basis.

Also, with the existing number of hotel rooms and establishments, it was indicated in the study that there is an exceedance in the number of rooms vis-à-vis the island’s carrying capacity.

The results of the study will be used by the Boracay Inter-agency Task Force in formulating policies that will ensure that the rehabilitation efforts of the island can be sustained.

In this regard, the task force is planning to hold a dry run for the opening starting on October 15 up to October 25, 2018. This will be open to local tourists, with Aklanons as priority, and allow us to assess what else needs to be done before the island is reopened to all tourists – both domestic and foreign – on October 26.

The operation of the one-stop shop for requirements has been extended from August 25 to September 7 to allow establishments to comply with requirements.

Since the Department of Tourism will have the final approval with requirements, we also call on the public to wait for the announcement on which compliant and accredited establishments will initially be allowed to operate by October 26 before they proceed with their own reservations.