NADI, Fiji—The President wants to limit the number of tourists visiting the country’s major destinations to ensure that environmental and local laws are followed, according to the Department of Tourism (DOT).
In a briefing on the sidelines of the 52nd Asian Development Bank (ADB) Annual Meeting here, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat said the government is now in talks with the ADB and World Bank to conduct a study on the carrying capacity of major tourist destinations nationwide.
Romulo Puyat said that while the intent is to preserve the environment, this would not necessarily be bad for the economy. She said imposing a limit on the number of tourists per destination will be good for lesser-known tourist spots in the country.
“We’re already talking to, actually ADB and also World Bank approached us, to help [with] the tourist destinations with plans, because we need a plan. Sometimes what happens is that if destination is a good one, businesses will just sprout [without any regard for regulations]. So we aim to have local tourism plans [where] everything is inclusive, including the infrastructure, [and it’s] green, sustainable, [and the] carrying capacity [is known], etc.,” Romulo Puyat said.
Romulo Puyat said the government would like to begin the studies on carrying capacity, particularly for Panglao in Bohol, El Nido and Coron in Palawan, and Siargao in Surigao del Norte within the year.
However, for other tourism destinations, the effort will have to wait. Romulo Puyat said there is a possibility that the government will be the one to finance these studies through the national budget next year.
“Like in Boracay, the researchers from the University of the Philippines Los Baños stayed there in Boracay for two months, two to three months to study the carrying capacity,” Romulo Puyat said. “The President is really serious about the carrying capacity—that each tourist destination must have a carrying capacity.”
Warnings in El Nido
Apart from limitations on the total number of tourists, the DOT will also close Boracay to cruise ships on certain dates. The DOT said the island will be closed to cruise ships between October 26 and November 8 for All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day; as well as November 23 and January 5, 2020, for the Southeast Asian Games, Christmas and New Year.
Meanwhile, Romulo Puyat said establishments in public beaches in El Nido are in danger of being closed down due to noncompliance of environmental laws and local ordinances by the end of the month.
She said after resorts in Panglao, Bohol, and El Nido in Palawan were given six months to address violations, only Panglao resorts seem to have gotten the message that the Duterte administration is serious about compliance.
Romulo Puyat said that while reports revealed that Panglao-based resorts were already “self-demolishing” establishments to comply with laws and ordinances, those in El Nido are not yet complying. This, she said, was mainly due to the failure of local government units (LGUs) to implement national and local laws.
“El Nido is still a challenge. It’s a challenge when you have to work with the local government. You are lucky if the local government understands why you have to do these things, why you have to follow environmental laws. It becomes a challenge if local governments are bullheaded,” Romulo Puyat said.
Romulo Puyat said in her last visit to El Nido, she already told El Nido Mayor Nieves Rosento that apart from the easement, many public beaches are not complying with local ordinances which prohibit acts such as grilling on boats and penalizing the use of single-use plastics.
She lamented that on paper, the local ordinances were impressive and could be deemed as a “model” in sustainable tourism. However, in terms of implementation, much needs to be done.
“My suggestion is to do it [closure of public beaches] per beach,” Romulo Puyat said. “If you go to El Nido resorts, [they even impose a] 40-meter easement so it would be unfair to close a whole island when there are resorts that are compliant and [some of them even go] over 20 meters, [around] 40 meters. And [El Nido has] coves, so [the closure] could be a particular beach,” Romulo Puyat said.