Skift Take
Philippines’ Boracay shows a good example of how to regulate potential overcrowding by cruise ships. The idea to offer alternative ports of call is smart, as it promotes new destinations and spreads tourism benefits to other places.
The Philippine government has started regulating cruise ship visits to Boracay Island in a bid to ease the pressure of tourist numbers on its environment.
Cruise ships are barred during peak tourist seasons, and those with a capacity of more than 2,000 passengers have been prohibited from making port calls on the island to curb overtourism. Alternative destinations are being offered instead.
Closeout periods will be this spring from April 24 to May 31; All Saints/All Souls Day holiday break from October 26 to November 8; during the Southeast Asian Games from November 23 to December 19; and during Christmas and New Year's from December 20 to January 5, according to Arturo P. Boncato Jr., Philippine Department of Tourism’s (DoT) undersecretary for coordination and resource generation.
Cruise ships were also earlier banned from Boracay during Chinese New Year this year from January 29 to February 12, and the recent Holy Week from April 16 to 23.
Boracay was closed for six months from April 26 last year to make way for the government’s rehabilitation effort. Tourist arrivals on the island dropped 53 percent to 930,363 last year from two million in 2017, as per DoT’s data.
Alternative destinations
In a separate interview, DoT’s regional director for Western Visayas, Helen J. Catalbas, said cruise ships may go to alternative destinations during the closeout periods. These include Iloilo and Bacolod in the region, Sub
