In Boracay, islanders cross fingers for return of tourism boom

Bangka boats, water vehicles with outriggers designed for island expedition, are anchored along the Puka beach on the northern side of Boracay Island, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Lee Hae-rin

Philippines' scenic resort island set to welcome Korean tourists back with resumption of direct flights

By Lee Hae-rin

BORACAY ISLAND, Philippines ― The excitement was everywhere on the Philippines' scenic resort island of Boracay on Tuesday amid news reports that flights between Korea and the Southeast Asian country will resume soon to end the bleak days of the pandemic that have continued for over two years.

On this island, once teeming with Korean tourists before the pandemic, hearing greetings in Korean is no surprise at all. One of the greetings Koreans would hear most is "Annyeonghasaeyo!"

Most of the island's 40,000 residents who work in the tourism industry know surprisingly diverse Korean phrases. "Hana, dul, set" (counting one, two, three), "Meori tta" (get your hair braided), "Yeppuda" (you look pretty), and "Nakhasan ta" (get a parachute ride, to mean a water parachute ride) are a few of the many Korean phrases heard around the island.

Some hotels even present kimchi and japchae, a traditional Korean glass noodle, in their breakfast menus and display not only English but also Korean on signage on doors, restrooms and crossroads. Along its signature white beach, some of the many Bangka boats, a native water vehicle flanked by two bamboo outriggers, even have the island's name and greeting written big and blue in Korean.

A signpost with Korean instruction stands along the trail of Crystal Cove, a tourist attraction in Boracay Island, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Lee Hae-rin

Heavily reliant on tourism, the locals said the pandemic has been a life-changing experience.

Mark Jhune, a local vendor at the island's Puka beach, said that he remembers seeing at least 50 packs, or 200 Korean tourists a day in his business area before the pandemic. These days, Jhune said, he's lucky if he sees three to four Koreans a week; other vendors around him agreed and nodded along.

Kennyday Precy Cabangnon, an employee at a cruise company who has been in the island's tourism business for 10 years, recalled the good old days for the islanders before the pandemic.

"We even had a separate calendar for Korean tourists, where we save reservations for Koreans only on dates with odd numbers," Cabangnon said, emphasizing the large share of the local economy Korean travelers accounted for. Since the Philippines reopened to international travel this month, this journalist is the second Korean she has met on the island, she said.

Mark Jhune, a local vendor at Puka beach, Boracay, speaks about the sharp drop of Korean tourists since the COIVD-19 pandemic. Korea Times photo by Lee Hae-rin

Including Jhune and Cabangnon, locals working at hotels and restaurants have unanimously expressed their longing for Korean visitors to return. Many of them appealed their grown understanding and love for Korean culture by watching K-dramas and listening to K-pop during the pandemic.

Meanwhile, a hotel employee with 18 years of experience in the island's tourism industry mentioned on condition of anonymity that Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat came back with news of the direct flight resumption between the two countries from her visit to Korea in March.

"We (Boracay locals) are encouraged since the opening of the borders between the two countries and look forward to the resumption of flights in the coming months," she said.

Air Seoul, one of Korea's airlines that serviced Incheon-Kalibo direct flights before the pandemic for tourists to Boracay, confirmed during a phone interview with The Korea Times, Wednesday, that the airline will resume direct flights on June 17, after two years and three months of pause.

"Boracay has been one of the major vacation routes for the airline and has always showed a high boarding rate," the official said. "We are resuming international routes with high demand with priorities on vacation spots, and Boracay is one of them."

Air Seoul opened four flights a week, which is thus far smaller compared to seven before the pandemic. Although the airline hasn't offered any promotions or bargain prices yet, it already sees a steady increase in reservations for Boracay.

Among other tourist destinations, Boracay is a beloved place for Korean holidaymakers.

Koreans were allowed to travel abroad freely without restrictions starting in the late 1980s. The Philippines and especially the scenic island of Boracay had been rising as top vacation destinations for Koreans, said the Philippines tourism office in Seoul.

According to Sho Jae-pil, the editor and publisher of domestic travel journal Travel Press who has been covering tourism for 42 years after leaving The Korea Times in 1972, Koreans' fascination for the Philippines and its islands is derived from their regular exhaustion from cold winters and quick tempers, which encourages them to discover new destinations.

A tourist couple walks along the trail of Crystal Cove in Boracay Island, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Lee Hae-rin

"Korean travelers rarely stick to one destination for more than 10 years," Sho said, explaining the shifting trend from other Asian locations such as Thailand in the past decade. Also, Sho believes the Philippines have great potential as a Korean vacation destination, as it features over 7,000 islands, most of which are yet unintroduced to travelers, and is one of the most reachable Southeast Asian countries with tropical weather.

According to the Philippine Department of Tourism (PDOT), almost a quarter of foreign visitors ― over 2 million out of 8.26 million ― were Koreans in 2019, when foreign tourism in the country reached its peak. The PDOT office in Seoul confirmed that 38.6 percent of over 1 million foreign visitors to the island that year were Korean.

Korean travelers' acute preference for Boracay stems from its natural resources. The tropical island features shores with white powdery sand from its unique coral mixture and creates a vivid color contrast to the crystal-clear, azure waters. The island is also famous for its stunning crimson sunsets.

A sunset scene at the Punta Bunga beach on the west coast of Boracay Island. Korea Times photo by Lee Hae-rin

Geographical proximity and tourism infrastructure are also major reasons behind its popularity. Boracay is reachable from Korea within four hours via direct flights and offers various leisure and well-being activities including diving expeditions in the oceans with tropical fish and coral reefs, and massages at reasonable prices.

Korea has accounted for the lion's share in regard to Boracay's economy, outplaying China and the U.S. in terms of foreign travelers by nationality. Korean vacationers' acute preference for the island has grown a unique but typical warm hospitality towards them, inviting more Koreans and creating a positive cycle in the tourism economy.

However, exchanges between the two countries have ground to a halt since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the globe and devastated the country's tourism-based economy.

The island presents a rehabilitated environment from the temporary closure for six months mandated by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in April 2018. Also, the entry process to the country has been also facilitated, as international travelers are to declare their health status and vaccination history in advance, promptly go through immigration checkpoints with individually issued QR codes and skip quarantine upon arrival.

Before reopening of borders on April 1, PDOT enforced safety measures by prioritizing vaccination of workers in the tourism sector; 100 percent of tourism workers on the island are fully vaccinated and greeted over 19,000 international travelers during the Easter break on April 15 and 16.

"(Dear) Korean and international travelers, it's safe here. We're vaccinated and do swipe test twice a month. And we're all boostered and that's why we're so energetic," Jhune from Puka beach said.

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