Boracay's mid-year tourist arrivals reach 387,288
Kalibo, Aklan -- Boracay Island has recorded a total of 387,288 tourist arrivals from January to July of this year. Based on records obtained from the Provincial Tourism Office here, the month with the highest number of tourist arrivals was April, with 93,615 arrivals.
Of the tourists who visited Boracay during the period, domestic arrivals outnumbered the foreigners. Domestic tourists numbered 217,837 while foreign tourists reached 117,518. Overseas Filipinos, on the other hand, numbered 51,933.
The biggest number of foreign tourists who flocked to Boracay was noted during the month of February, with l9,859, while they had the least number during the month of June with 11,054. Domestic tourists, on the other hand, peaked during the month of April with 75,739 and lowest during the month of February with 2,372. For Overseas Filipinos, their number was highest in the month of January with 21,051 and lowest in March with 2,038.
Converted into tourism receipts, the foreign arrivals generated P4,063,513,900.40 while the local tourism receipts generated P3,592,014,527.00 for a total of P7,119,670,219.20.
With five months left before yearend, it is seen that tourist arrivals for 2007 will surpass the number recorded in 2006. Last year, Governor Carlito Marquez reported in his State of the Province Address (SOPA) that tourist arrivals in Boracay reached 558,084, which, when translated into tourism receipts, reached P10.2 billion -- P4.9 billion contributed by local tourists and P6.3 billion by foreigners.
The direct international flights from South Korea that started landing at the Kalibo Airport May of this year is also expected to boost foreign tourist arrivals in Boracay.
For the period May 11-June 27, the provincial government here has recorded a total of 30 flights. According to Roselle Ruiz, Provincial Tourism Officer, the total number of passengers, direct from South Korea, reached 1,823.
Aklan is optimistic that in 2010, it will achieve the targeted One Million in tourist arrivals with the opening of the Kalibo Airport for international flights.
Improvement and expansion of the Kalibo Airport is now also prioritized by the national government, with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo announcing in her recent SONA the allocation of P80 million for the airport terminal. Earlier, funds were also released for the Instrument Landing System of the kalibo Airport, which is now in use.
(PIA)