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 Tourism reported that Boracay had been named the world's second best beach after Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Due to worsening environmental conditions in Boracay, President Rodrigo Duterte in February 2018 said he plans to close the resort island, which he described as a "cesspool", on April 26, 2018, instructing Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu to resolve the issue. In a cabinet meeting, President Duterte approved the full closure of the island for six months, effective April 26. 2018 to rehabilitate and resolve the environmental issues surrounding Boracay. On May 30, 2018, President Duterte declared that