TOURISM stakeholders in Boracay still want to conduct a study on the island’s tourism capacity, amid the threat of its closure, on the one hand, and, on the other, the anticipated entry of two casino-resorts.

Tourism Congress of the Philippines President Jose C. Clemente III told BusinessWorld that the carrying capacity should be established by the government before it allows further establishments to be built in the island.

“Give us a week or three to come with that [numbers]. It’s not rocket science [since] it’s something readily available. The establishments can provide the numbers, how many is the average number of occupancy a day, it’s easy to extract the information,” he added.

While there had been claims of Boracay reaching overcapacity, local tourism executives maintain there is no set figure that determines the capacity of the island.

According to the group, an average of 18,800 tourists flock to the island daily and would usually stay for about three days.

To allow undisturbed rehabilitation, the Departments of Environment and Natural Resources, Interior and Local Government, and Tourism have backed President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s stand on shutting the island.

At the same time, Malacañang defended the coming ventures to set up casino operations in Boracay.

Senate committee for tourism Maria Lourdes Nancy S. Binay in a statement last week questioned Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.’s move to hand a provisional license to two firms despite the rehabilitation plans, which include imposing a moratorium on new construction projects. — Anna Gabriela A. Mogato

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