Algae not turning off Boracay tourists

Tourists do not seem to mind the algal bloom on the shores of this island resort, if their number is any indication.

A total of 167, 445 foreign and local visitors went to the island in March, Caticlan jetty port records showed.

The number was higher than the 156, 872 in the same month last year, said jetty port information officer Julfe Rabe.

“South Korea regained the top spot with 27,231, followed by China with 25,127,” he told this reporter on Friday. “Taiwan came in third place with 4,164.”

Chinese tourists dominated in number in January and February.

Curiously it was in March when the press again reported this year sightings of green algal bloom in Boracay.

The island waters remain safe for swimming, according to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

In an earlier interview, marine biologist Dr. Edgardo Gomez warned that the algal bloom may eventually drive tourists away.

“It is true there had been algal bloom in Boracay for years. It is also true that it is still safe for swimming,” Gomez said. “[But] I know that increasing tourist arrivals also translate to increasing presence of algal bloom every summer. A huge number of tourists [triggers] the multiplication of algae.”

Islands similar to Boracay, such as Maldives and Galapagos, are already regulating the number of tourists coming in, said Gomez.

“I get invited to several meetings of the Department of Tourism (in Manila) regarding Boracay, and I always tell them to limit the tourists,” he stressed.

The provincial government of Aklan aims to accommodate this year at least 1.75 million tourists, mostly in Boracay.

Boracay was also recognized as one of the top 10 islands in Asia this year by the travel website TripAdvisor./