Photo by Allan Ascano
Boracay may have closed its doors to tourists to clean and rehabilitate the island, but the Philippines offers so much more in terms of beaches. Your next stop? I recommend Sumilon Island in Cebu, which just reopened its doors to tourists after closing itself for cleaning and rehabilitation.
Sumilon Island is a famous coral island known for its marine sanctuary, its impressive dive sites, and other activities like hiking, island tours, paddling, and trekking.
To maintain its cleanliness, tourism officer Elizabeth Benologa said that they will implement regulations, like imposing a maximum three-hour visit time to only 522 guests or fewer. Members of the Bangcogon Oslob Fishermen Association (BOFA) also built a fence for more efficient crowd control.
A particular part of the island will be closed every third Wednesday of the month for regular cleanups.
“We have to be serious if we want to have a progressive tourism or else nature will take it back from us,” said Beneloga.