Boracay Island in the Philippines is one of Asia’s most popular tourist destinations.
However, President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte has issued a six-month tourist ban for the island.
The island will be off-limited to holidaymakers for the duration of this time while a thorough clean-up of the island is initiated.
The island will close on the 26 April, during the height of the peak summer season.
Although the estimated loss to the government in tourism will reach £790 million (20 billion pesos), the clean up is deemed by the President as necessary.
In a televised press briefing, Tourism Assistant Secretary, Ricky Alegre, explained speeding up the rehabilitation progress could accelerate the soft opening in July.
As a response to the closure of the island, Philippine Airlines and Cebu Air’s Cebu Pacific will cancel flights to Boracay.
The island, only four miles long and less than a mile wide, was visited by the President who is said to have been left shocked at its condition.
Local reports explained the President was outraged by “environmental violations” that have left the island as a “cesspool”.
After the closure, the government is expected to initiate strict environmental laws which could see a temporary closure of some popular beachside hotels, impacting local tourism.
TripAdvisor ranked Boracay as the second-best beach destination in Asia.
The island was expected to attract 7.4 million tourists this year.
According to Bloomberg, around 15 per cent of the 6.6 million tourists to the Philippines visited Boracay last year.
Visiting tourists spent over £2 million (56 billion pesos) while staying on the island.
The Independent reports a loss of income for residents relying on the tourism industry.
The island ban could potentially jeopardise the livelihoods of an upwards of 100,000 people.
However, the government will release £79 million (2 billion pesos) in emergency funds to help the 36,000 workers who are likely be affected.
Holidaymakers with pre-paid tickets to hotels on the island will likely be able to claim a refund although uncertainty remains over pre-paid airfares.
The Foreign Office has warned UK visitors that a “state of national emergency on account of lawless violence” is in place, adding: ”Expect random checkpoints, security patrols and a more visible routine security presence.”
Boracay is not the only popular tourist island under threat; four other destinations are set to be investigated according to Alegre.
The destinations under investigation are, Puerto Galera in Mindoro, El Nido and Coron in Palawan, Bohol and Siargao.
