BORACAY: STILL One of the TOP 10 ISLANDS IN ASIA Even While Remaining CLOSED

It was plain to see, going into the year 2018, that the resort island of Boracay was in trouble in terms of its environmental health. Algae were blooming in its waters, brought about by sewage dumping from business establishments along the shore, some of which was being done clandestinely. President Rodrigo Duterte spurred government agencies on a hard crackdown to rehabilitate Boracay, necessitating a months-long closure that shut down the island’s bloated local and international tourism industry while volunteer crews cleaned up the mess. There have been no tourists on Boracay since April, yet somehow it remained a top destination, at least on a list.

According to ABS-CBN News, not even the mandated closure and rehabilitation of Boracay Island has cost it its spot in the Top 10 Island in Asia list of “Travel + Leisure” magazine. It may have wavered a little, perhaps because the deterioration has been spotted before the island was shut down, but still, finishing at 8th place on the “Travel + Leisure” list with a score of 86.14 is nothing to sneeze at. There are still months more to go before Boracay is reopened to the public, but his ranking should buoy many travelers’ spirits.

Boracay is not the only Philippine island on the Top 10 Islands of Asia list this year. Also making the cut is Cebu, which actually trumps Boracay with its 6th-place finish with an 89.10 score. And Palawan was actually the top placer on the 2017 edition of the list; for 2018, however, it has fallen to 5th place with 90.04, with all scores decided from “Travel + Leisure” reader votes. The Department of Tourism, always looking for an opportunity to hype the effectivity of Boracay’s rehabilitation, hailed the resort island’s ranking in Asia on Facebook.

“Travel + Leisure” magazine has it that the current number one island in Asia is Java, Indonesia, which was also named by the travel publication as the Top 1 Island in the whole world. This is due to Java’s multifaceted tourism experience in being able to travel from urban Jakarta to more historically ancient places like the Borobudur Buddhist temples without taking any boat rides.

Here is the whole list of the Top 10 Islands in Asia according to “Travel + Leisure”, plus their respective scores.

1. Java, Indonesia (95.28)
2. Bali, Indonesia (94.06)
3. Lombok, Indonesia (93.88)
4. Maldives (90.48)
5. Palawan, Philippines (90.04)
6. Cebu, Philippines (89.10)
7. Phuket, Thailand (86.14)
8. Boracay, Philippines (86.14)
9. Koh Samui, Thailand (85.07)
10. Koh Lanta, Thailand (82.50)

Boracay Island is set to reopen on October 26.

Image courtesy of Watchmen Daily Journal