Boracay visitor arrivals surpass half-million mark
Kalibo, Aklan – Tourists arrivals in Boracay Island have surpassed the half-million mark a month before the year ends, records from the Provincial Tourism Office here show.
From January to November of this year, a total of 547,305 tourists, domestic and foreign, visited the island. Their arrival in the island generated a total of P10,062,326,737.00 in tourism receipts, with the foreign tourists contributing P6,535,377,089 and the locals adding P4,770,800,330.
Of the more than half a million arrivals in the island within the eleven month period, 189,005 were foreigners; 300,955 domestic and 57,345 were Overseas Filipinos.
Foreign tourists registered the highest arrival during the month of August numbering 19,023, while domestic tourists crowded the island during the month of April with 75,739. They also came in droves in the month of March with 35,330; May, 51,464 and June, 29,832.
With still a month to go before the year ends, more tourists, foreign and local, are still expected to visit Boracay especially during this holiday season.
Last year, total tourist arrivals in Boracay reached 558,084. Translated to tourism receipts, their arrival generated P10.2 Billion. By 2010, Aklan anticipates that arrivals will reach the one million mark.
Tourism is one of the anchor industries of the province of Aklan, along with agriculture. (PIA/Venus G. Villanueva)