A tourist’s experience in Boracay often varies according to their capacity to spend

By: Gil Delos Santos

I wish Boracay had preserved the pristine beauty, tranquility, and privacy that defined the island in the 1980s—qualities that can still be glimpsed in places like Punta Bunga Beach.

Like Batanes, I wish Boracay had embraced a low-volume, high-value tourism model from the very beginning, rather than pursuing continuous expansion.

I wish the island had never reached its current level of overdevelopment.

I wish tourism and economic development had been more evenly distributed among other islands, easing the pressure on Boracay.

I wish Boracay had not been expected to shoulder the burden of providing livelihoods for people from across the country. If opportunities had been developed elsewhere, the concentration of workers and beach vendors on the island might have been more balanced.

Above all, I wish native Boracaynons and long-time local communities had been able to retain their communal spaces, preserve their cultural identity, and continue the way of life that once made the island not only a world-class destination, but also a close-knit home.