Can the Philippine island of Boracay survive back-to-back lockdowns?
- A mere 21 months after a first closure, for restoration work, the popular tourist destination is struggling with another
- Now its resilient resort and bar owners are adjusting to a slower pace of life, as they watch the coffers empty
Boracay’s White Beach would ordinarily be thronged with people: bronzed sunbathers lounging on the pearly sand; children splashing about noisily in the clear, shallow waters; blissed-out couples posing for selfies beneath the swaying palm trees. But today the beach is largely deserted, with nary a tourist in sight. Its pristine sands lie undisturbed. No paraw boats, with their distinctive blue sails, line the shore. All is quiet – far too quiet, many locals would say.
The same can hardly be said this time round, especially with no end to the coronavirus pandemic in sight.
“When people stopped coming, we felt it hard. We already had a taste of it during the 2018 closure, so to have it happen again but with no timeline – it truly feels like a test of survival,” Maffi Deparis, hotel and restaurant manager at Deparis Beach Resort, tells Post Magazine by email. The resort, which is close to White Beach, has had to shut its doors and let go of its staff after initially trying to keep them on a rotating shift schedule.
“We’ve been operating for more than 35 years, and I have to say that this is the lowest point we’ve ever experienced,” says the 33-year-old, who grew up on the island. “It’s a different level of hardship.”
