The famous white sand beach of Boracay Island in Malay, Aklan has been named as one of TIME magazine’s “World’s Greatest Places in 2022” alongside other international destinations.
TIME magazine’s Charlie Campbell described the island as a “paradise reborn” citing how the island was transformed when it undergone closure and rehabilitation for six months under the Duterte administration.
“The once brilliant white sand and clear waters of Boracay Island were choking on the trash and traffic that comes from 2 million annual visitors. It reached a nadir in 2018, when Duterte closed down all tourism on the island for six months—an emergency Band-Aid for decades of ecological abuse,” he said in his article.
During the pandemic, Campbell added that the world-renowned island had the time to fully recover when the Philippines closed its borders.
“It took a severe toll on the local economy, but the silver lining was that this 4-sq.-mi. speck in the Visayas island chain had proper time to truly recover,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Department of Tourism Region 6 (DOT-6) took pride in the international distinction of the island.
“Isa ini ka dungog sa part sang Western Visayas na maincude sa listahan sang Time Magazine nga top destinations ang Boracay,” she said in an interview with Radyo Pilipinas Iloilo on Friday.
The regional director credited the rehabilitation efforts of the national government under the previous administration and the collaboration of the local government units (LGUs) and the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force.
“It also showcases the rehabilitation efforts of the national government under former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte and collaboration with the LGU and the BIATF,” she said.
Other international destination that made it to the list of TIME’s “World’s Greatest Places of 2022” are Galapagos Islands, Ecuador; Seoul, South Korea; Bali, Indonesia; Kyushu Island, Japan; Dolni Morava, Czech Republic; Great Barrier Reef, Australia; Valencia, Spain; and Nairobi, Kenya.
