Boracay is "well-prepared" for its opening next month, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said.

Boracay Island—one of the most famous tourist destinations in the country, will start to accept travellers from all over the country beginning October 1 this year, said the Department of Tourism on Wednesday, September 23.

“Boracay Island will further open its doors to more local tourists on October 1, and signals the continued resurgence of domestic tourism nationwide,” DOT said in a statement.

“This development came as a result of a special meeting convened by the principals of the Boracay Interagency Task Force (BIATF) led by its Chairperson Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu and Co-Vice Chairpersons Interior and Local Government Secretary Ed Ano and Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat with Province of Aklan Governor Joeben Miraflores on 22 September,” the tourism department added.

In the same statement, the DOT secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said that they will implement a “Test Before Travel” rule, which requires all visitors to have a negative result of Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) 48 to 72 hours prior to traveling to Boracay Island.

Puyat added that the travellers are also required to undergo “strict quarantine immediately after a test and until the time of travel to the island.”

The “Test Before Travel” regulation will also permit tourists from areas under general community quarantine status to visit the island, Puyat said.

Also, the DOT mentioned travelers aged below 21 and above 60 years old are allowed to visit Boracay as long as they have no comorbidity or worse health conditions.

Tourism Undersecretary Benito Bengzon said visitors must have pre-arranged reservations.

“Pag nasa isla na sila, kailangan silang sumunod doon sa health and safety guidelines na na-develop ng Department of Tourism,” Bengzon stressed in a briefing.

Some 199 hotels and resorts in the island with a total of 4,416 rooms have been allowed to operate since June, the officials said, when Boracay Island reopened but only for residents in Western Visayas.

Mayor of Malay town in Aklan Frolibar Bautista said that the town has lost about P12 billion after it was closed to tourists due to the coronavirus pandemic.