By Tara Yap
ILOILO CITY – The Department of Tourism (DoT) clarified that the economy of Western Visayas region is not solely dependent on Boracay Island, which began its six-month closure Thursday.
While Boracay’s contribution to the regional economy cannot be belittled, DoT-6 Regional Director Helen Catalbas refuted the calculation that Boracay’s closure would slump the Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) for this year.
National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA-6) Regional Director Ro-Ann Bacal claimed that Western Visayas’ economy would slow down by 5.07 percent to 5.23 percent due to Boracay’s closure.
“It is based on the wrong assumption that Boracay will (also) have 2 million plus tourist arrivals this year,” said Catalbas.
