I know this ia a Phuket-centric forum, mods bear with me.

 

There is a bit of chatter (and static) in the system about the impending closure of Boracay. No one has made an official announcement yet. But we do know the Korean discount carriers and the Chinese charters have canceled flights, as well as PAL limiting flights. In the near term, likely Phuket will see a larger influx this low season.

 

The supposition is that Boaracay has been overbuilt, including protected areas, and polluted with effluent going directly in to the sea. Sound familiar? DU30 has ordered a complete shutdown lasting anywhere from 3 months to one year. Yet official mandates find discrepancy with implementation. There is also a murky issue of a large Chinese funded casino. 

 

To be sure, Phuket is MUCH, MUCH larger than Boracay; and yet the challenges are similar. Shutting down the destination for one year to restore its environmental beauty to become sustainable, would absolutely crush smaller businesses, but its attraction would likely be stronger. Could Phuket do the same?

No, not even vaguely comparable.

 

Boracay is only about 2/3s  the size of the town of Patong. To suggest closing down an entire Province in the same way is ridiculous.

Although, Patong could definitely do with a makeover as planned for Boracay.

 

https://www.cntraveler.com/story/boracay-set-to-ban-tourists-for-six-months-during-island-rehabilitation

Would never happen. Too much money involved in Phuket.

Certain tourist attractions could be closed, or have already been closed. Such as Koh Tachai or Maya Bay on Phi Phi Island.

But definitely not the entire island:)

Apples and oranges.

Good idea. It is likely that Phuket will eventually also need to resort to drastic measures, at the rate things are going.

 

I went swimming at White Beach(the main beach in Boracay) a couple of years ago. I suffered from diarrhea, a throat ache, and an ear infection for the next several days. 

 

They have no sewage treatment there. Everything gets dumped raw into ocean via pipes about 1km offshore.

 

Dependig on the prevailing winds, the sewage makes its way directly back to the beach at certain times of the year.

 

Until they fix it, they should consider renaming White Beach as “Greenish Brown Chunky Beach.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Phuket will be raped and pillaged until it's just a shadow of its former self. 

 

I expect the destruction of what natural beauty that is left to increase exponentially, particularly now that Phuket have moved to the "mass tourism" business model.