Chapter 5

CONCLUSIONS

SUSTAINABLE TOURISM OF BORACAY, AKLAN, PHILIPPINES

It can be concluded that Boracay has arrived at a relatively advanced stage of

evolution as a beach resort and its geography will prevent it from ever becoming a

tourism metropolis of a sort predicted in certain theories. Nevertheless, it seems to be at a

critical juncture, which might be labelled a period of transition prior to a state of greater

or lesser sustainability. Whichever of these is attained will be determined by assorted

environmental, political, economic and socio-cultural factors and their interplay. The

process of destination development is unlikely to end there and notions of an ultimate

fixed stage may be misleading given the degree of fluidity and

flux prevailing.

Each resort also follows its own particular course and momentum, which can best

be understood within the frame of wider national and local conditions. These can

facilitate or hinder tourism and features of the Philippines at large tend to temper

optimism about its immediate future and that of destinations such as Boracay, although

prospects are a matter for speculation.

Nevertheless, it is unlikely that Boracay’s development will be entirely consistent

with the BRM and such divergences suggest the difficulties of capturing the complexities

and dynamism of resort development in static models, which additionally do not always

give due regard to local and national specifics and their effects. The absence of an exact

match is also reflective of the fact that growth on small islands overall is constrained by

land available. Locations such as Boracay cannot support urbanization of a type

stipulated in the closing stages of the BRM.

destinations, and island resort might be a more apt description of the eighth stage than

city resort. Given the preceding account of Boracay’s prospects, there is also some doubt

about the ending of the process and the organic nature of resorts implies the likelihood of

further changes and stages beyond those postulated. However, it will be necessary to

repeat the exercise in other island locations before formulating a new model or

confirming amendments to the original, and such case studies are material for other

papers.

At the same time, the resort model is valuable in anticipating the difficulties and

opportunities that accompany change and in the preparing of plans directed at sustainable

development to help resolve the former and capitalize on the latter. The case of Boracay

demonstrates the vital need for planning as well as some of the key attributes of resort

development and its management, but the subject is one for ongoing analysis. Such will

further illuminate the development patterns of maturing island resorts and allow

insightful comparative studies of experiences worldwide, as well as contribute to the

devising and testing of new theories and models aligned with tourism in the 21st century.

Everyone in Boracay wants a piece of it, but no one wants responsibility over it.

That is pretty much the story of the island. Now, even the social demographics have

changed considerably. From a pristine and serene beach destination that has been hailed

as one of the best by various international travel and tourism groups and publications

with vibrant marine life it could boast of, it is now a mass tourism destination known to

the young travelers as the best white sand beach party destination.
 It is obvious that the people of the Island, both from the public and the private

sectors, were not prepared for the rapid urban and mass tourism development. The

island’s resources were not managed properly. Manifesting in the degradation of the

island’s natural resources and its natural ecosystem which various scientific groups have

already studied and researched on, the relentless growth of tourism operations on the

island is taking its toll on the environment. Even nature cannot stop these inexorable

business operations.

What could have been kept as an island nature trip became a destination marred

by concrete structures, obstinate beach vendors, and inconsiderate transport operators –

all year round. But all is not lost.

However, following the lifecycle of a tourist destination, Boracay is hopefully

moving towards to Rejuvenation. With improved infrastructure and more controlled and

monitored developments on the island, the possibility of rejuvenation becomes greater.

New buildings and new property developments are still ongoing. Infrastructure

developments are underway.

Expansion of road networks, enhanced water pipeline systems, improvement of

the sewage treatment facility and service, are some of the ongoing infrastructure activities

on the island. For social services, there is a proposal to build a world class hospital with a

well-equipped trauma center and well trained emergency response teams. A second-point

of entry – a jetty port – is underway to ease the vehicular traffic on the main road and

establishing an alternative entry point to ensure safety during the rainy season. All these

services, except for road expansion, are spearheaded by the private sector, corporations

and private stakeholders based on the island.

principles of sustainable tourism development. Is eco-tourism a future option for the

island? "Philippine society is largely maintained by the astute manipulation of strategic

ties along the basis of kinship, locality or personal connection." In a culture of conflicting

interests, with a government characterized by personalism, individuals engage in practical

tactics for success.

In Boracay, "socially responsible" civil society groups themselves are often

members of the local elite. Despite being underpinned by strong personal religious

values, Philippine society is often controlled by a powerful elite that furthers its interests

– which may run contrary to environmental and social interests. The progress of tourism

development in Boracay has changed the island people’s lifestyle significantly. Locals were originally

involved in subsistence agriculture and fishing activities. However, those who lived in the coastal

regions had to move inland to allow for tourism activities on these coastal regions.

With tourism development, changes are evident in Boracay Island in terms of sand erosion,

coastal pollution, and environmental changes such as the sporadic felling of timber. A wastewater

treatment facility was built with a joint venture with Japan, and this facility is to keep pace with waste

disposed from various tourism operations. However, wastewater is not properly treated and evidence

of sulfide spills over to the shorelines. This has resulted in the sand having a strange smell and

implications for the future remain negative.

This scenario is actually a stumbling block for a movement to bring Boracay back

to its original state. As an ecological experiment that went wrong, Boracay Island became

a victim of rapid, unplanned and ungoverned mass tourism development taking toll on its

environment.
 Properly managing the marine protected areas (marine parks) and the

rehabilitation of the mangrove systems on the island are initiatives that pave the way for

re-establishing Boracay Island as an eco-tourism destination, with responsible tourism

industry players initiating the move towards a sustainable development through the

support of integrated laws and policies.

The adverse effects of unplanned mass tourism development – with the factor of

small-scale overdevelopment – have been plaguing the stakeholders of Boracay Island.

Mismanagement, lack of political will, conflicting personal business interests, politicking

among the stakeholders, and the complacency of the residents and local communities are

among the main causes of the decline of Boracay Island from what used to be a nature-

destination and became an island metropolis that resembles a mini urbanized city.

This experience is not unique to Boracay. But if one studies the laws and the

policies that have been set in place to regulate activities and to mitigate impacts of

development, Boracay would have been a very good example of a sustainable tourism

success story. Sadly, this is not the case.

The Tourism Act of 2009 that governs the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise

Authority and the Tourism Enterprise Zones, the Proclamation 1064 vis-à-vis the

Guidelines for the Forest Land Use Agreement for Tourism Purposes, the Boracay

Environmental Master Plan, the Comprehensive Land Use Plan, the local ordinances

declaring Marine Parks, and the rules and regulations being implemented by the various

enforcement groups on Boracay Island should be integrated before any implementation

mechanisms are drafted.

sustainable development on the island since the late 70s have the potential to create

further confusion that may ultimately lead to non-implementation of the policies that

should have been fundamental in the protection and preservation of Boracay Island.

The awareness and the realization by those who have allowed the

overdevelopment and mismanagement of the island of the grave implications of such

have triggered some action and community support to confront the problem that the

Island and its people are facing. Personal differences and political maneuverings are still

playing big roles in journey towards change.

But it is through proactive management and initiatives of the private sector,

providing the proficiency in the tourism industry to the relatively young and less tourism-

oriented local government of Malay, and the integration of the national laws and policies

and local governance tools that Boracay Island can maintain and enhance its environment

for the tourism industry and for the future generations to enjoy.

SUSTAINABLE TOURISM OF THE CHOCOLATE HILLS, BOHOL,

Unplanned development often results in a plague of social and environmental

problems even amidst a seeming economic boom. In the context of tourism, communities

can become alienated and dispossessed as non-residents buy up land and develop an

industry for which residents do not have the requisite skills to be employed, often with
the locals turning instead to crime and prostitution. Also, the industry that develops often

copies ideas from somewhere else, echoing a different environmental context. This can

lead to practices that exceed the local ecology’s carrying capacity and destroy the

uniqueness of the landscape.

The Chocolate Hills presents the opportunity to build its immense tourism

potential and allow the community to benefit while averting a social and environmental

crisis. It is essential that the entire area, despite overlapping jurisdictions and mandates,

be treated as one landscape where all stakeholders are engaged in planning,

implementation, and enforcement. I believe that there is a sense of awareness of the area

as landscape, and that this can be a foundation of new policies.

A set of policies that encourages and reassures a shift to higher value agricultural

activities that can allow the community to remain true to its relationship to the land and

preserve the landscape, while allowing the people to benefit to tourism. Awareness on

our environment, as well as preservation of it will while emancipating its true beauty

could surely avert future endeavours by seizing the opportunities open offered by the

present.