With the uprise in beaches and tourist spots in the country, this island remains to be one, if not the best, vacation spots not only in the Philippines, but also around the world. It is truly a place where people of different nations come and enjoy. Observers of the island agree that Boracay is better off with tourism rather than not to have it.
Geography
With Boracay in mind, it is without a doubt one of the most beautiful landmarks in the Philippines. Boracay is described as a key tourism spot and of true importance in the Philippines and there are a ton of reasons why.
It is described as a tropical haven (Department of Tourism). Within the vicinity of Boracay, it is seen that there are crystal blue waters surrounding the island, filled with a healthy and diverse marine life. It is a dream-like environment as the white sand and tall tropical trees tower around the beautiful soil.
It is the pride of the Philippines (Department of Tourism). With regards to the study of Department of Tourism, Boracay is considered as our country’s true jewel as Philippines truly protect its integrity and beauty through preservation since it is the root of the booming tourism industry in the country.
The Philippines is one of the Southeast Asian countries to have the best nature. The Philippines competes with different countries in Southeast Asia with the best vacation or tourist spots. But in this study, it stated that many visitors come to Boracay to see the legendary beauty of the tropical island. Anthropology Like any other places in the world, Boracay can be traced way before it was even the Boracay we know of now. There has been a noticeable change in the way it has grown and how it progressed as a functional and economical place of tourism. Different aspects of its past civilizations can be one of the few reasons as to why Boracay is what Boracay is in the present times.
Prior in the 1970s, Boracay was just a remote island. In the study conducted by Ong on 2011, they found out that Boracay, before its populated vicinity has emerged, the island only had a small population, mainly consisting of local Ati people.• Inhabitation of Ati groups in Panay, the island where Boracay lies. The Ati of Panay are the first known inhabitants of Boracay. They are known to have promulgated fishing and hunting as their sources of income back then and up until now.
History
There is always a fresh beginning to everything. Way back before Boracay was known for its beautiful sceneries and captivating location, it was a place filled with simplicity. It wasn’t like what it is now. There are different aspects as to why this simple island is now a well-known vacation spot.
Tourism in Boracay only promulgated back in the 1970’s. Foreign backpackers travelling around the country were the ones who first ‘discovered’ the potential beauty of Boracay as a travel spot in the country. They saw a huge possibility that more foreigners like them would like to visit such place.
President Marcos’ Proclamation No. 1801, s. 1978
President Marcos appointed the Philippine Tourism Agency to have full control of Boracay and other islands as well in order to preserve it. Until now, it has still preserved its innate beauty which has the tourists return all over again. It also formally introduces Boracay as a tourist destination in the Philippines. Economics As the fruitful years of the booming economy in Boracay, they used it to further uplift the tourist spot with the countless economic growth. And with its continuous progress, it constantly holds the top reason as to why the country’s economy is growing.
Boracay has evolved into a tourist destination, resulting in a honed entrepreneurial Filipino spirit. The constant visits of different cultures resulted in the adaptation of their respective cultures, thus, whilst being implemented in the island; more vacationers will be attracted to visit. Not only these Euro-centric ideals are seen there, but the Filipino culture, products, and services are mostly seen around the island.
In 2008 alone, the island attracted a lot of tourists which generated 11.66 Billion Pesos. Philippine’s economic notability really attracted an estimated amount of 634,363 visitors in 2008. With its sudden boom in the industry, it was labeled as the top one beach in the country which holds a huge amount of the economic income of the country.
The primary factors of the skyrocketing development of the tourism aspect of Boracay have been sufficiently economic. In this study, it showed the causes of the increasing development of Boracay which has a great impact in the economy. For instance, the profits, jobs, income, and government revenues. The said aspects really started the still-ongoing growth of its economy.
Sociology
With Boracay’s modernization and on-going progress, it faces different environmental issues and perspectives as well as different solutions for the said problems.
Tourist arrivals are still strong which made ignorance about environmental issues. The fast-pace of incoming and outgoing tourists make it a point to enjoy and have fun but neglect the preservation of the island which people of the Philippines are much aware of. They have the tendencies to create issues within the place, thus, resulting into the closure of the island today.
6-Month Closure of Boracay (Al Jazeera News)
It is known that Boracay has been facing pollution ever since it has been popular but now, it has rapidly grown which forced the current administration of President Duterte to shut down the island in order for it to rehabilitate and redevelop. It is said to reopen in October. Political Science In line with the temporary closure of Boracay, let us dive deeper on the laws which expresses it and other laws which proclaims Boracay as a tourist spot in the country.
Proclamation No. 475 – Closure of the Island as a Tourist Destination
In accordance to the constitution, it states that the country is liable to the protection, safety, and promotion of the right to health and consciousness. It reiterates that with the closure of the island instills the redevelopment of it and creating a better environment for the natives to stay and inhabit there. In states in the proclamation that with this, it will perform a thorough cleaning of the vicinity to be ready for the incoming tourists one it reopens in October.
Proclamation No. 803 – Designation of Aklan as Tourism Economic Zone (Malacaňan Palace)
This proclamation instills the legal proclamation of the legal lands occupied by the people of Aklan. With this proclamation, the people will be aware of the lands that are rightfully theirs which is a part of the growing tourism in their island. In this way, they would not have any issues with those who ‘claim’ their land. It puts a start and an end to where Aklan people can possess their rightful land. Demography Different studies by different sources have shown the usual demographics of the people visiting the country to go to Boracay annually and how long their visits are in the country.
2017’s tourist arrivals peaked at 2,001,974. In their analysis of the demographics of Boracay, there is an estimate of 14,182 tourists daily that stay in the island for about 3 days and 2 nights.
Emergence of Coastal Tourism
As Boracay is an island being surrounded by large bodies of water, coastal tourism, by definition, is an activity wherein people travel from their own territory or origin and focus on the coastal zones or marine life of another country or place. In accordance to the tourists, they come to Boracay to be able to enjoy the serenity of the beaches there and the tropical atmosphere it possesses.
