The Boracay Island has opened its borders again but tourists seem hesitant to visit the popular destination.
Data show that only 83 tourists coming from Western Visayas visited the island from June 15 to 30 while the number of affected tourism-dependent workers increased to 26,611.
The Boracay Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry attribute this to the absence of COVID testing facilities in the area.
“Who [wants] to travel and take the risk of coming to Boracay? We are COVID-free pero (but) there is no testing facility in the province. Ang nagte-testing (The testing), will take 3 to 5 days to go to Iloilo,” Boracay Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chapter President Elena Brugger disclosed.
The Malay local government said a testing facility will be built by the provincial government next month. While it is yet to be constructed, Mayor Floribar Bautista appealed for the loosening of restrictions and lifting the age limit for tourists.
The tourism department said the request has already been recommended to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).
Report from Cleizl Pardilla
