by Mark Richard Evidente, Elton Evidente,
Justine Razon and Ann Geron
As COVID-19 continues to change consumer sentiment and the national landscape, the tourism industry has begun rolling out its recovery plan in the face of significant uncertainty. These unprecedented times call for tourist destinations and the government to understand the needs and new travel preferences of tourists and the immediate community. This is important for places, such as Boracay, where tourism serves as the backbone of the local economy and a major source of employment. Following the island’s closure in 2018 and the damage of Typhoon Ursula in 2019, the pandemic has aggravated the condition of already battered businesses. This presents a need to reassess tourism, disaster management and public health strategies and programs to ensure the resilience of the industry and to support the people who rely on the sector’s success.
TwoEco, during the period of May 22 to 31, 2020 conducted an informal online survey to get a sense of the behavior of Philippine residents in travelling to Boracay and how they ought to proceed. The full report is at https://bit.ly/BoracayCOVIDSurvey