DENR wants integrated QR code system to monitor Boracay tourist arrivals

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is proposing to implement a QR code system to prevent another overcrowding on Boracay Island.

In a statement, the DENR said it is discussing action plans with the Department of Tourism (DOT), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Province of Aklan, and the Municipal Government of Malay to control the number of tourists visiting Boracay Island.

Boracay Inter-Agency Rehabilitation and Management Group (BIARMG) General Manager Martin Jose Despi noted that among the recommended measures to avoid overcrowding in Boracay is to integrate the use of QR codes in contact tracing into a control program aligned with monitoring the number of tourists going in the island, according to the DENR.

The BIARMG is a DENR-led task force.

During the Holy Week break, Boracay’s carrying capacity was breached, with the Department of Tourism (DOT) urging concerned agencies to appropriate measures to prevent such incidents from occurring again.

Based on a study conducted by the University of the Philippines and commissioned by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the island’s carrying capacity is 19,215 tourists at a given time.

The island recorded 21,252 tourists on April 14 (Maundy Thursday) and 22,519 tourists on April 15 (Good Friday), surpassing the recommended daily threshold.

The DENR said a proposed real-time monitoring system is necessary to see the total number of tourists issued with the QR code on a particular date.

The BIARMG chief also recommended a review on the data of airline and shipping passengers, and the total number of accommodations that booked tourists to prevent overbooking.

“We are now discussing possible adjustments on policies and what strategies we will take to prevent this from happening again in the future,” said DENR Undersecretary for Policy, Planning and International Affairs Jonas Leones.

The DENR said setting up a carrying capacity is in line with its ongoing mission to protect and conserve the environment in Boracay.

It said that if the population continuously exceeds the given carrying capacity, the ecosystem may become unsuitable for other species on the island to survive, or other resources may deplete.

“We need an integrated information technology system that would take care of all these capabilities,” said Despi.

“The moment that we put in place a relevant system or software, all of this would be properly addressed,” added Despi.

Local officials have reportedly appealed for the island's carrying capacity to be increased, but the DOT said it has to consult the experts first.

The DENR, likewise, said that its Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau will be tasked to study on the possibility of increasing the island’s carrying capacity, noting that the “policies should be based on science.” — RSJ, GMA News