Boracay was emerging among the top destinations for tranquility and nightlife. Boracay was awarded as the 2012 best island in the world from the international travel magazine "Travel + Leisure". In 2014, the resort island was at the top of the "Best Islands in the World" list published by the international magazine Condé Nast Traveler. In 2016, Boracay headed the magazine's list of "Top 10 destinations to watch". In April 2018 the Philippine Government decreed a 6-month closure of the island for tourists to undertake major renovation works, especially of the sewerage system, which had become obsolete and insufficient.. It re-opened
Boracay in October 2018 with a set of new rules meant to address a variety of issues . The name "Boracay" is attributed to different origins. One story says that it is derived from the local word "borac" which means white cotton with characteristics close to the color and texture of Boracay's white sugary and powdery sand. Ati tradition states that the name of the island came from the Inati words "bora," meaning bubbles, and "bocay," meaning white. Yet another version dating back to the Spanish era says the name is derived from "sagay," the word for a shell, and "boray,"