Clear blue waters and white sand beaches – Boracay is the Philippines’ premier tourism destination. Local tourists and foreign tourists from different countries keep returning to this tropical paradise every summer.
Because this small island is a world-known tourist haven, it is considered one of the major players in the tourism industry of the Philippines.
The Famous Resort Island During the Pandemic
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the tourism and economy of the whole country were greatly affected. Aklan is one of the cities that suffered as their people’s primary source of income is tied to tourism in Boracay. Raymundo, a general manager of Paradise Garden Resort and Convention Center Boracay, said, “If something happens to the beach in Boracay, everything will be in danger.”
Even with the COVID-19 restrictions, the local government tried slowly opening Boracay last 2020, implementing the “new normal” protocols; since they recorded no more COVID cases in June 2020, they reopened the island, promoting local tourism. On October 2020, to prevent the economy from dropping further, they finally opened the doors for foreign and domestic tourists as long as they presented negative COVID-19 test results.
Since then, the Malay-Boracay Tourism Office has been trying to restore the island’s reputation – after months of island rehabilitation and the COVID-19 pandemic.
A “Paradise Reborn”
Many people were eager and excited to finally travel when the quarantine was lifted after years of staying home. From 2021 to 2022, the number of tourists visiting Boracay increased significantly. To keep the business going, the residents found ways to keep tourists entertained – one example is the crystal kayak, which has been a trending attraction until now.
The popularity of the small island once again grew exponentially. In 2022, Boracay is finally back on top as it was recognized by TIME as one of the “World’s Greatest Places in 2022,” with the caption “Paradise Reborn.” Their goal this 2023 is for Boracay to be dubbed “the Happiest Place in the World.”
The Malay-Boracay Tourism Office has been thinking of ways to make Boracay a better tourist destination. They’ve been finding ways to attract more tourists to the island; one of their solutions is to bring back the Love Boracay Event.
Let’s look into the events that happened in the famous Love Boracay 2023.
Love Boracay 2023
Love Boracay 2023 was announced as this year’s summer highlight of the country’s prime beach destination that returned on April 28 to May 1, 2023. Aklan relaunched the said event after years of hiatus. The Love Boracay initially started as a simple mainland Malay feast – it became the most awaited event on the island.
Because of this grand event, Boracay Island is now back, progressing towards its goal of becoming the “Happiest Island in the World”with some hotels and establishments hosting supplemental events for visiting tourists. Malay Mayor Floribar Bautista said that the local government allocated 1.5 million to offer more amenities to Boracay tourists.
He also said that this year’s Love Boracay aims to entice tourists to visit Boracay and enjoy the island’s festivities. But this is not their only objective for this event. One of the main goals is tourism sustainability. With the volume of people coming in and out of the island, it is vital to maintain its beauty, so they created different events to encourage responsible tourism.
Main Highlights
Love Boracay 2023 was a 4-day event, from April 28 to May 1. Here are some of the best highlights of this 4-day-long event.
Project Pristine, Clean-Up Drive
One of Love Boracay’s main goals was to spread environmental awareness and responsible tourism among locals and tourists. The event kicked off with a clean-up drive, raising environmental awareness among tourists and locals.
During the Love Boracay 2023 event, a “‘Why Boracay should protect the forest?’ A Ridge to Reef Conservation” symposium was held. The beach is a vital part of the life of the people in Aklan. Protecting and cultivating the island is of great importance, and sharing knowledge of the ecology of Boracay is one way to encourage Boracay visitors to help in preserving the island.
Events on Wellness and Arts
Another Love Boracay objective is to advocate wellness and arts. They introduced a series of activities that everyone can enjoy and participate in.
On April 29, the day started with the #NotAlone: Family Fun Run for Mental Wellness. This event was created to raise awareness of the importance of an active physical lifestyle to our mental health. More than 14,000 people registered, from 32 schools in the Malay district. The race started and ended at the beachfront.
Other wellness activities in this 4-day event were Love Boracay native boat race, the 1st UNISIKAD invitational circuit race, and beach sports like volleyball and frisbee.
For arts, The Crimson Resort and Spa Boracay hosted an event called Art Warriors, a live painting competition open to everyone. The goal was to promote the art and artists of the island. The results were amazing – you can check out some of the creative works on their website https://www.artwarriorphilippines.com.
Horma Ba’eas Sand Castle Competition is another event promoting arts. The theme of the contest was “Sustainable Tourism.” Throughout the whole Love Boracay event, you could see the participants’ progress on their sand castles every day. Tourists witnessed these masterpieces as they were being created. The entries are posted on the Malay-Boracay Tourism Office Facebook Page.
Obreros Festival Revival
This year, the local government decided to revive the Obreros Festival Dance Showdown after its suspension during the pandemic. Celebrated every May 1, the festival pays tribute to St. Joseph the worker and the Malaynon workers.
Beach Music and Arts Festival
The most awaited event of Love Boracay 2023 was the beach music festival – the best time to meet with people and enjoy the music. Each day ended with music, booze, and fireworks – four days full of fun! Tourists and locals joined together on the white sandy dance floor, singing and dancing.
Love Boracay 2023 was immensely successful. So far, between April and May, the municipal tourism office released a record showing over 300,000 tourists, ⅙ being foreigners, visited the island. With the community’s continuous innovation, Boracay will manage to keep its position as one of the “World’s greatest places.”
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