Boracay Island on track to reach 1.7 million arrivals – DOT

MANILA, Philippines – With the influx of tourist during the holidays, the Department of Tourism expressed confidence that Boracay Island will achieve its target of 1.7 million tourists by end of year.

A total of 1,585,821 tourists have stayed in Boracay as of the month of November, 15 percent higher compared to last year. This includes some 801,956 foreigners and 745,772 domestic tourists.

Last month, Boracay Island already surpassed last year’s tourist arrivals of 1,560,106.

Holiday season

Kristoffer Leo Velete, DOT-Boracay officer-in-charge, expects arrivals to increase during Christmas holidays and before the New Eve celebration.

Velete added that majority of the hotels and resorts in the island are already fully booked. The Caticlan airport also accommodates bigger aircrafts to cater inbound markets, he added.

The island resort registered 135,847 arrivals last December, data from Municipal Malay Tourism Office shows.

Korea, China and Taiwan are the three biggest markets of Boracay, accounting for 70 percent of the foreign visitors.

Security measures

To secure the visitors and residents, Boracay police, Task Group-Boracay and force multipliers are on alert for the holiday season.

The Philippine Coast Guard and the Philippine Navy also tightened its maritime security measures around the island. 

Passengers of motorized pump boats are required to wear lifejackets prior to departure to Cagban and Caticlan ports. – Rappler.com