DOT: Boracay Holy Week tourist cap breached as over 20,000 visit island Thursday, Friday

The Department of Tourism (DoT) on Monday said it was relying on authorities to address the alleged breach in Boracay Island’s carrying capacity after more than 20,000 tourists visited the destination on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.

The DOT said it had notified the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) of the issue and urged them to take appropriate measures to prevent such incidents from occurring again.

“We continue our coordination with them, especially the DILG, which has jurisdiction over the LGU (local government unit), to address this concern and prevent similar incidents from happening in the future,” the Tourism Department told GMA News Online.

According to the Malay Tourism Office’s report to the DOT, the number of tourists on the island hit 21, 252 on April 14 and 22,519 on April 15 — far beyond the recommended daily threshold of around 19,000.

GMA News had sought comment from Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano but he has yet to respond as of posting time. — DVM, GMA News