Boracay braces for overcapacity during Holy Week

By Jennifer P. Rendon

The celebrated Boracay Island is set to welcome thousands of visitors from around the globe during the Holy Week.

Local authorities and the Boracay Foundation, Inc. (BFI) are preparing for the possibility that tourist numbers might surpass the island’s carrying capacity.

Malay Mayor Floribar Bautista noted that tourist numbers on Tuesday, March 26, soared to over 6,000, approaching the daily maximum limit of 8,542.

This threshold marks an increase from the initial cap of 6,405, established when Boracay reopened after its environmental rehabilitation.

The current figures suggest that the island can now sustain a carrying capacity of about 25,000 tourists, up from the earlier limit of 19,215.

Mayor Bautista anticipates that arrivals could well exceed the 8,000 mark by Holy Thursday, March 28.

Maylynn “Nenette” Aguirre-Graf of the BFI Board of Directors concurs, recalling that last year’s Holy Week saw a daily peak of approximately 16,000 tourists.

Both the local government and BFI acknowledge the challenge of managing excessive tourist arrivals.

“That’s the difficult part. You cannot just tell the tourists to go home. Nor can you stop them,” said Bautista.

The island reportedly has around 14,000 rooms across 435 accredited hotels and accommodations.

According to Graf, tourist arrivals used to be regulated through a portal that required pre-registration.

However, this system was abandoned when travel restrictions eased. Now, visitors simply register their names and pay the necessary fees upon arrival without the need to present a hotel reservation.

Several events are scheduled to take place on Boracay, particularly on Black Saturday.

Meanwhile, Mayor Bautista anticipates an even greater influx of visitors for this year’s LaBoracay, a popular summer event that typically draws more crowds than Holy Week.