President Duterte suspends his visit to Boracay Island and will be moved to a later date instead.
“In light of the recent developments and after careful review of the situation concerning the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the country, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte will not proceed to Boracay island (today), as earlier scheduled,” presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said.
President Duterte was expected to discuss with the BIATF, led by the Departments of Tourism (DOT), Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the rehabilitation and upkeep of Boracay.
President Duterte was expected to tour around the country’s top destination to help boost local tourism. This will be the first time he will visit the island since 2018, It was temporarily closed for 6 months to the public for rehabilitation.
According to DOT, there were 394 lodging establishment in Boracay have reopened, over 14,000 rooms offered.
Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat was also scheduled to meet the President to discuss with the stakeholders representing, airlines, hotels, resorts and tour operations and persuade them to offer marked-down rates to attract more domestic tourists.
It is his way of supporting the DOT’s effort to entice Filipinos to visit the country’s tourist spots amid the growing fear of traveling because of the COVID-19 scare, according to the tourism chief.
Since the outbreak, there has been a plunge in tourist arrivals, particularly from China, Hong Kong and Macau, which is expected to result in billions of pesos in losses in tourism revenue.
Last week, Puyat announced it would allot P6 billion “to spur domestic tourism” amid the threat of the virus.
Additional Report: Cristina Mendez Philstar,
Image Source: Daily Express, Boracay Compas
