Boracay and meeting the mayor

As a member of this Rotary Study Exchange team out here in The Philippines, I have been very privileged to have been looked after and hosted by this Rotary District in every way possible. Individual Rotary Clubs have taken it in turns to host the team and to organise trips for each of our professional vocations.

The Rotary District organised a three day excursion to Boracay Island in the south of the country which is a small island around 7miles long. It is reached by around 1 hours flight from Manila and then by a small passenger boat.

On arrival at Casa Pilar resort hotel, the Mayor of Boracay met us and also Marlo, a Rotarian of Boracay Rotary Club. We were actually in another Rotary District.

This excursion as to see the effects of tourism on a small island. Boracay is one of the favourite holiday destinations of the Philippine people as well as South Korean and Taiwanese tourists mainly because of its white sandy beaches and clear blue sea.

It was a wonderful experience going to Boracay as it was a tropical island paradise and one of the highlights was to go snorkling and see all the beautiful types of different coloured fish by the coral reef. However the island is very busy with many tourists and its popularity is there to see. I think the islands Mayor will have a lot on his plate over the next few years as development increases and improvements to the infrastructure take place however he is keen to keep the islands natural habitat as well so it will be a fine balancing act.