Photos of Old Boracay

Photos collected by Maffi Deparis of Boracay Retrospective Group

Take a trip down memory lane and relive Boracay of the 80s and 90s. When foliage and a thick ring of trees encircle the beach. When we wade into the sea to fish or hang out at the floating bar. When sunset means awaiting the passage of a dark cloud of hundreds of bats and opening a parasol to protect your head from bat droppings that fertilize the island.

Evenings come and Boracay is lit up by Petromax. You turn on a generator to make a fruit shake.

The accelerated pace of development on the island has provoked nostalgia for the “old” Boracay. We cannot bring it back, but we can remember what Boracay used to be. We can usher it forward into greater phases of development, but without compromising what makes Boracay great in the first place.

Boracay is a beautiful tropical island with a soul, with people who practice responsible living. Our dream is for Boracay to be known not only as a dream destination, but as a model of responsible community.

Remembering the past is not a sign of infantile regression. It is a sign of adulthood, of embracing and making a history.

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