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Philippines to temporarily close popular tourist island Boracay

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Toby
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Philippines to temporarily close popular tourist island Boracay

Postby Toby » Thu Apr 05, 2018 3:45 pm

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-43650627

Philippines to temporarily close popular tourist island Boracay

The Philippine island of Boracay will be closed to tourists for six months following concerns of damage to its once pristine shores.

A spokesperson for President Rodrigo Duterte said the closure would begin on 26 April.

Earlier this year Mr Duterte said Boracay was turning into a "cesspool" and threatened to shut it down.

The island, known for its white-sand beaches, attracted nearly 2 million visitors last year.

The decision has prompted concern for the thousands of people employed in Boracay's busy tourist trade.

The island is home to around 500 tourism-related businesses, which drew in annual revenue of $1.07bn (£760m) last year. The government said affected companies will receive financial aid.

It's not clear how the shutdown will be implemented, though the department of trade and industry had earlier proposed closing the island down in phases, saying a total shutdown would be detrimental to businesses and livelihoods.

Damage fears
The move follows growing concern over the island's environmental health.

Officials had warned businesses had been releasing wastewater into the surrounding waters.

In February, Mr Duterte condemned the island's hotels, restaurants and other tourist businesses, accusing them of dumping sewage directly into the sea.

"I will charge you for serious neglect of duty [for] making Boracay a fishpond or a sewer pool," Mr Duterte said at the time.

"Either [you] clean it up or I will close it permanently. There will be a time that no more foreigners will go there."

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Toby
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Re: Philippines to temporarily close popular tourist island Boracay

Postby Toby » Thu Apr 26, 2018 12:47 pm

Just saw a report...he really did it.
Cleaning up the island, tearing down illegal buildings etc.

A good effort...since these illegal constructions are killing the island and nature.

Fingers crossed for a better Boracay!!

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Re: Philippines to temporarily close popular tourist island Boracay

Postby Eurus » Wed May 02, 2018 5:06 am

I watched a documentary awhile back about the sewage issues there. It's pretty bad and being as remote as they are there really is no option other than to pump it straight into the ocean as untreated raw sewage. Chemicals, waste, and trash. Straight into the ocean.

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Re: Philippines to temporarily close popular tourist island Boracay

Postby Toby » Wed May 02, 2018 11:14 am

Straight into the kite bay!

They have a sewage plant, but due to illegal constructions it cannot clean all.

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Re: Philippines to temporarily close popular tourist island Boracay

Postby SaltWaterDog » Fri May 04, 2018 8:15 pm

When I was a boy in the early 90s we lived in the Philippines. Boracay was incredible. Back then you could enjoy the beaches and reefs with hardly any tourist traffic. Just rent a little dow from a local and head out with your snorkel and fins. Such a shame they allowed it to become just another Spanish, Greek or Turkish beach. Now a bunch of locals will suffer because this Duterte nice person likes to play environmentalist when he’s not having drug addicts executed in the streets.

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Re: Philippines to temporarily close popular tourist island Boracay

Postby Toby » Fri May 04, 2018 8:57 pm

likes to play environmentalist
isn't it a good thing? Much better than keep going it the way it went. Then it is dead soon, if not already.

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Re: Philippines to temporarily close popular tourist island Boracay

Postby SaltWaterDog » Fri May 04, 2018 9:10 pm

Toby wrote:
Fri May 04, 2018 8:57 pm
likes to play environmentalist
isn't it a good thing? Much better than keep going it the way it went. Then it is dead soon, if not already.
I’m not against cleaning it up, but my point was that it was allowed to be messed up in the first place. Plus, his only aim is to attract MORE tourists, it has nothing to do with preserving reefs wildlife etc. He’s democratically elected dictator who will do whatever it takes to look good. Wouldn’t surprise me if he hands out some acres of land to various cronies of his in the process.

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Re: Philippines to temporarily close popular tourist island Boracay

Postby Toby » Fri May 04, 2018 9:57 pm

attracting more tourists is so wrong. they should make Boracay limited, and more expensive...this way less people will come but locals make the same amount of money.

I think in this case don't blame the president, but the corrupt major. There have been great projects presented for a healthier Boracay, but they only care about power and money.

There goes another paradise...


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