Equipping Recreational Crafts with Tracking and Monitoring System for Sustainable Tourism Industry: A Case Study in Boracay Island

Abstract

The tourism industry in Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan, Philippines is facing a number of challenges, particularly with regard to the management and oversight of its recreational watercraft, resulted in the overcrowding of recreational watercraft circling the island. In order to address the concerns about a data-driven decision support system that is sustainable and increase the maritime safety of the watercraft and crew, the installation of small craft tracking and monitoring system on ships and small crafts has been recommended as one of the essential actions in the field of intelligent transportation system. Using the SEAWAVES mobile application designed for this project, a pilot research study was conducted to evaluate the tracking and monitoring system on board the small craft on the island. The study’s findings revealed that the SEAWAVES mobile device have no effect on other equipment used on recreational small craft, are flexible as direct power or can be recharged when not in use, and conform to national regulations to a greater or lesser extent. The use of a mobile device could be recommended for use onboard a recreational small craft throughout the country for the effective management and monitoring of the performance of such small crafts through the use of modern technologies, particularly in the Boracay Island, and taking into consideration that installation of SEAWAVES is one of the measures to address such concern.