After President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the six months rehabilitation of Boracay, the said tourist spot regained its title as the best island in Asia.
The title was given by Conde Nast Traveler magazine in its 2019 Readers’ Choice Awards.
“This itty-bitty island (just under four square miles) in the Western Philippines is as close to a tropical idyll as you’ll find in Southeast Asia, with gentle coastlines and made-for-Instagram sunsets. Fold in a thriving nightlife scene, and you have one of the top tourist spots in the region. Unfortunately, it’s become too touristed—the island closed for “rehabilitation” in 2018 to compensate for overcrowding and unregulated development,” the magazine article said.
Cebu and Visayas Islands also got the second spot while Palawan reached the fourth spot.
Conde Nast Traveler based their decision on their latest survey consisted of 600,000 voters around the world.
The Department of Tourism believes that rehabilitation contributed a lot to the title achieved by Boracay, saying that it became more famous since its reopening.
“Boracay’s rehab is worth it. We are getting high-valued clients,” DOT Sec. Bernadette Romulo-Puya said
In April 2018, President Duterte decided to close down Boracay for a six-month rehabilitation after seeing the deteriorating condition of the said tourist spot.
After its opening, Boracay island set new rules to avoid overcrowding and to prevent businesses from dumping their waste into the sea.
About 400 hotels and restaurants were ordered to close for violating local environmental laws, while 3 casinos have been permanently shut down. Establishments built within the 30-meter shoreline easement were also demolished.