Tourism chief Puyat says PAL agreed to limit Boracay flights

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said Thursday that Philippine Airlines (PAL) has agreed to cut the frequency of flights to Boracay amid the government’s goal of limiting the number of people in the island resort.

During the hearing on the proposed P3.39-billion budget of the Department of Tourism for 2019, Puyat said they have been in touch with major airlines such as PAL, Cebu Pacific, and AirAsia asking them to limit their flights to either Caticlan or Kalibo.

She said they would also coordinate with the Civil Aeronautics Board and the local government regarding compliance with the island’s carrying capacity.

“PAL already told us that they would limit their flights to one a day, but we have to be coordinated also with the Civil Aeronautics Board and with the local government,” she said.

According to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Boracay can only carry 19,215 tourists at any given time, Puyat noted.

She said they expect 6,200 tourists coming in daily and staying in Boracay for three days.“(There are) 6,200 tourist arrivals a day and 98 percent of them come via air.”

After the hearing she was asked if the limits on the number of flights would not affect tourist arrivals in the country. Puyat cited numbers that prove otherwise.

“In fact, last June, tourist arrivals increased by 11.35 percent despite the closure of Boracay. Last July, tourist arrivals increased by 5.8 percent. And if you look at January to July figures, it increased by 9.7 percent,” she said.

“Of course with the opening of Boracay, we expect it to increase further,” she added.

During the hearing, Tourism Undersecretary Benito Bengzon Jr. also present a rosy picture of the industry.

“Despite the closure of one of our flagship destinations, Boracay, we were still able to grow during the first seven months of the year. We are happy to report that from January to July 2018, we were able to generate approximately 4.3 million foreign visitors,” he said. 

“With the current growth rate, we are confident that we will be able to achieve our year-end target of 7.4 million tourist arrivals,” he added.

However, Senator Juan Edgardo Angara noted a lower growth rates in April and May.

“Why the lower growth rate for April and May? Those are summer months? Does it coincide with Boracay closure?” he said.

Bengzon said it was correct.

“Yes, Mr. Chair, we received reports on the cancellation of the chartered flights particularly into Kalibo. This would explain to a large extent the relatively sluggish growth rate of 0.94 percent month-on-month for May,” he said.

The growth rate for April was 4.61 percent. Boracay was closed to the public for a six-month environmental cleanup and rehabilitation on April 26, 2018.

The island resort will reopen for business on October 26, 2018.

At the current growth rate, the country will be able to hit the target of 7.4-million foreign visitors, “or even over, which will be another banner year for Philippine tourism,”  Bengzon noted. —VDS, GMA News