It’s what we’ve all been waiting for, the Boracay reopening! It’s hard to believe that after a 6 month closure to clean up the island, it was hit with another devastating 6 months without tourists due to the pandemic. But as of October, Boracay is opening its doors to domestic tourism again, and we couldn’t be more excited.
Personally speaking, we never thought we’d see the day where Boracay would be without its usual crowds, which has always deterred us from visiting. If you’ve read our blogs before, you’d know we prefer quieter, more low key places. We may very well be the only travellers in the world to have gone all the way to Caticlan, only to take a boat to the lesser crowded neighbouring island of Carabao, Romblon. But now, with Boracay open exclusively to local tourists, there couldn’t be a better time to visit and we can’t wait to take advantage of the Boracay reopening.
BEST TIME TO VISIT THE PHILIPPINES
BORACAY REOPENING GUIDELINES:
The Department of Tourism released a whole bunch of guidelines for the Boracay reopening, but we’ve summarised here with everything you need to know before you go.
Who can visit?
Before October 1, it was only residents of Western Visayas that were lucky enough to visit Boracay for tourism. But, as of the official Boracay reopening on October 1, residents of areas under GCQ or lower are now able to visit. There are no age restrictions however people with comorbidities won’t be allowed to enter.
Point of entry regulations
All airlines have been instructed to only use the Godofredo P. Ramos Airport in Caticlan as the sole port of entry for Boracay tourists. This is also where land and sea tourists are screened before going on to Boracay.
Test before you travel
You’ll need a negative RT-PCR result not earlier than 72 hours before travel if you want to take advantage of the Boracay reopening. After taking your test, it’s strongly advised that you observe strict quarantine until your date of travel to Boracay.
Stay in DOT-accredited hotels & resorts
We should all be used to booking Boracay accommodation before travelling by now, as this was a requirement for the last reopening. However, you’ll now need to make sure you’re pre-booking DOT-accredited hotels and resorts that have been issued with a Certificate of Authority to Open. You can check them out here to be safe.
Register your visit online
The last thing you’ll need to do is register your visit online with the local government.
- Visit the Aklan Government website here and click the Online Health Declaration Card button then choose Boracay in the “Where To?” page.
- Fill out the required fields and submit. A confirmation with instructions will be displayed.
- Save a copy of the Health Declaration Card (HDC) on your smartphone or have it printed.
- Attach a copy of the HDC together with a copy of your RT-PCR Negative Result, confirmed flight and booking details, and your valid ID, then email it to touristboracay@gmail.com with this subject format: OHDC – Family Name, First Name (example: OHDC – Dela Cruz, Juan). Registration for multiple tourists and their documents can be sent in one email.
- Wait for the email response within the day. If approved, a copy of your HDC and Tourist QR Code will be sent back to you. Present these to authorities in the borders for scanning.
Travel in the new normal might have a few more steps involved, but we think it’s totally worth it if it means returning to a semblance of what life was like before the pandemic, whilst staying safe and healthy. If you do decide to take advantage of Boracay reopening, then maybe we’ll see you there! Not sold on Boracay? Maybe the El Nido travel bubble is more for you. You can read all about that here.
