DENR: Total rooms in Boracay to be reduced significantly

The total number of hotel and resort rooms in Boracay should be significantly reduced, if not halved, given the daily limit of tourists in the island, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said Wednesday.

In an interview on ANC television, Environment Undersecretary Sherwin Rigor said rooms in Boracay should be halved to at least 6,000 from the current 12,000.

"In full capacity, we need at least 6,000 rooms in Boracay. Right now, registered and according to the Department of Tourism (DOT) accreditation, Boracay has 12,000 rooms," Rigor said.

This comes as tourist arrivals in Boracay will only be limited to 6,405 per day, as only 19,000 tourists will be allowed in Boracay at any given time.

According to Rigor, the number of rooms was computed based on an average of three people per room. With an average of two people per room, Boracay could accommodate some 8,000 to 9,000 rooms.

However, not all tourists in Boracay share rooms as some opt to occupy a room on their own.

"They need to reduce (the number of rooms) so they could operate. They need to reduce their number of rooms. They could make another business model," said Rigor.

Asked on how the government would distinguish which rooms to keep and which ones would not be allowed to welcome tourists, Rigor said it would be according to the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF).

"The DOT and the Task Force will make policy guidelines regarding accommodation," Rigor explained. — Jon Viktor D. Cabuenas/RSJ, GMA News