MANILA, 18 December 2018: Boracay rebounding from a six-month closure has now cleared 279 hotels to accept visitors.
The forced rehabilitation of the popular tourist island ordered by the country’s president pulled the plug on all travel from April this year to October.
Although major work on roads and sewage treatment has been completed the task of connecting resorts to water treatment systems and certifying compliance is taking longer than earlier anticipated.
Reopening beaches and the authorisation of hotels that have passed water treatment testing has been staggered with officials saying the resort island is now at phase two of a three-phase process.
Officials say there are now 279 hotels authorised to receive tourists that account for 9,868 rooms according to an updated Department of Tourism list that was released to the local media at the weekend.
According to a report in the Philippines Star the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF) continues to supervise and control the processing of testing and authorising compliant hotels.
Only hotels that have complied with the requirements set by the departments of environment and natural resources (DENR), interior and local government (DILG) and DOT are allowed to accept bookings.
Tourists arriving at the ferry port or nearby airports are asked to show proof they have a booking at certified hotels.
Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat earlier said the BIATF would continue to accredit compliant accommodation establishments.
