For years now, the island of Boracay was synonymous with one thing: wild, unabashed partying, especially on the Labor Day weekend with a summer party known far and wide as LaBoracay. However (or maybe fortunately), part of the Boracay rehabilitation plan was to end LaBoracay, since party tourism was one of the major causes of the island’s decline. (Read: Boracay’s back: What you need to know about the island’s reopening on Oct. 26)
But that begs the question: On the first labor day weekend since the Boracay rehab, what’s going to replace LaBoracay?
A week-long eco-friendly celebration of the environment and the island’s rehabilitation called Love Boracay, it turns out. From Apr. 26 to May 1, there will be pocket events such as a clean-up, marine tourism forums, and a food fest around the island, to drum up environmental awareness for both residents and tourists. There’ll still be some partying, don’t worry, just one that’s more mindful of the planet.
Hotels are also helping out in the Love Boracay cause. Tourists are inevitably still going to visit the island in search of some LaBoracay fun, but this time they’re not going to find any form of plastic they can mindlessly throw away from the hotels they’ll be staying at. That’s because hotels like The Lind have joined the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)’s #AyokongPlastic campaign, which means they’ve committed to eliminate plastic bottles from their operations and replacing them with glass ones.
In all honesty, a beach clean-up is a really good alternative to partying. Here’s a recommendation: Even if you’re not going to Boracay, you should think of picking out litter from the sand instead of guzzling down drinks at a beach bar.
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Read more:
Where to eat in Boracay from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
How to pick the ideal hotel in Boracay
How is the rest of Boracay after the closure?
FYI, Boracay isn’t your personal dumping ground
Writer: ZOFIYA ACOSTA
PHOTOGRAPHY JP TALAPIAN
