MANILA – At a tourism expo in Germany, sentiment on Boracay is “mixed” due to reported pollution problems in the Philippines’ main draw for travelers, a European business executive attending the conference said Friday.

Some Filipino tour operators are having a “tough” time selling Boracay to tourists, who fear that their bookings might be cancelled, European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines president Guenter Taus said via Skype from Berlin.

President Rodrigo Duterte had threatened to shut down Boracay, calling it a "cesspool" due to poor sanitation, prompting a crackdown on environment law violators.

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