Almost empty Boracay brings back childhood memories to handful of tourists

The almost empty Boracay scene brought back childhood memories to a handful of tourists who visited the island after it reopened yesterday, Oct. 1.

In Ian Cruz’s report on “24 Oras” Friday, a tourist from Iloilo shared how the image of Boracay now reminded her of what it looked like when she was younger.

“’Yung ngayon since walang tao para siya ’yung beach when noong bata kami na walang masyadong tao din,” said MJ Orata, a tourist who would travel to Boracay with her family when she was growing up.

Only seven tourists from Metro Manila were able to visit Boracay since it opened its doors to tourists.

One of the tourists, Kyle Gonzaga, shared how she was overwhelmed with how the island looked like.

“Napa-wow ako noong nakita ko ulit ’yung water, ’yung sand,” Kyle said. “Ang ganda niya talaga. Mas nag-heal siya during the lockdown.”

She added: “We were konti lang sa plane. Pagdating namin dito sa Boracay inasikaso naman kami agad.”

Each hotel is said to have an officer in charge. Should doctors suspect a tourist to have COVID-19, he or she will be brought to mainland Aklan to reduce the risk of transmission in Boracay.

“We wanted to quarantine and isolate these individuals outside of Boracay so we can facilitate testing and we can facilitate the appropriate management in the mainland which is closer to our COVID referral hospital,” said Dr. Leslie Ann Luces, Aklan’s assistant provincial health officer.

According to the Department of Transportation (DOTr), they’re still finding more ways to make the travel more convenient amid the pandemic.

“Kung pwede i-share ’yung information ng QR code sa lahat ng dadaan na turista para mabilis at hindi paulit-ulit yung tanong, paulit-ulit ’yung scan,” said Transportation Undersecretary Artemio Tuazon Jr.

Should domestic tourism be a success, the government shared possible plans in opening the island to foreign tourists.

“We have direct flights from Kalibo airport going to South Korea and Taiwan and maybe in the future we can have a travel bubble with these countries. Their tourists can come directly to Kalibo and Boracay and vice versa,” said Aklan Gov. Florencio Miraflores. – Kaela Malig/RC, GMA News