By Raju Gopalakrishnan
BORACAY, Philippines (Reuters) - It's getting crowded inparadise.
About 600,000 tourists came last year to Boracay in thecentral Philippines, regarded as one of the world's bestholiday destinations, and swam, ate and slept on an island thathas only about 18,000 full-time residents.
Arrivals should rise to about 670,000 this year, andpressure is mounting on the island's infrastructure as more andmore hotels and resorts are built to cater for the boom.
The single narrow road that runs the length of Boracay isjam-packed, drain pipes bring floodwater to the beach and hoteltaps can suddenly run dry. About 10 tonnes of garbage need tobe treated and disposed of each day.
"It's really taken off (in terms of) congestion,overgrowth," said David Light, a retired American actor who hasbeen visiting Boracay for its windsurfing since 1991.
"It was a pristine natural environment and I hated to seeit change, but it did."
Three decades ago, Boracay was the legendary secretdestination for a generation of backpackers, pretty muchdeserted, with stunning beaches, a few huts and only basicfacilities.
Now, over 150 hotels and restaurants are crowded along the5-km White Beach, renowned for its soft, powdery sand and theclear blue water that it gently descends into. Other parts ofthe island are less crowded but may be getting there.
The government, concerned that the crown jewel of itstourism brochures is getting shopworn, is trying to step in butwith limited success.
Environment Secretary Lito Atienza announced a ban onconstruction on Boracay in August, but it was not implementeduntil January, and then only for new projects. The moratoriumwill stay in place at least until July. A master plan fordeveloping the island will be in place by then.
FRAGILE
"I feel that the island is very fragile," said LoubelleCann, president of the Boracay Foundation, a local businessassociation.
"I don't really know how much the island can carry in termsof physical capacity so we are pushing that we should at leaststudy these things because you cannot just build and build andbuild."
Despite the moratorium, about 100 unfinished shops, hotelsand restaurants have been allowed to be completed and the noiseof jackhammers, excavators and power saws can be heard acrossthe island.
These include a huge 183-room deluxe resort being built byShangri-La north of White Beach. The hotel will cost $100million (51.4 million pounds) and will offer rooms starting at$500 (257 pounds) per night. It is expected to open by Novemberthis year.
Nearby, a hillside is being excavated to build the AltaVista resort while the Shangri-La's staff quarters are beingconstructed across the street.
But still, there's no let up on the boatloads of touristswho cross from the main Panay island through the day.
White Beach, despite the crowds, is clean, and allbuildings are a maximum two storeys high, lower than thecoconut palms that fringe the sands. Unlike beaches elsewherein the world, it remains safe at night and there are no overtsigns of sleaze or drugs.
"It's nice," said Roger Mestric, a Frenchman from Nanteswho was on the island with his wife after visits to China andCambodia.
"It's not particularly crowded. From an ecologist's pointof view, Martinique (in the Caribbean) is better, but you canlive here easily."
The government and the resort-owners, residents say, haveto find the balance between controlling expansion, providinginfrastructure, offering facilities and retaining somemystique.
It's not the big resorts like the Shangri-La or the AltaVista that are the problem, they say, it's the smallerbuildings which sometimes block natural waterways or do nothave proper sewage or waste disposal.
And there is never an easy answer for those who hanker forthe good old days.
"Some people moan that it was much better 20 years ago,"said Victor Ocskai, a German who owns a resort on the beach."And then they want cold beer, running hot water andair-conditioning.
"Twenty years ago, it was quiet, but there was no coldbeer."
(Editing by Megan Goldin)
