Boracay tourist receipts in July up 43%–DOT
Boracay Island in Aklan earned P1.072 billion in tourist receipts in July, records of the Department of Tourism 6 show.
The data was collated from the figures of international hotels, restaurants, discos and other amenities in the island-paradise.
Tourism Regional Director Edwin Trompeta said the figure is 43.37 percent higher than its revenue during the same month last year.
In July 2010, the island has 58,322 tourists while in June, 40,680 visitors.
Most of the tourists in Boracay that month are of Chinese heritage. Of the more than 24,000 foreign tourists, at least 18,000 are from East Asia.
Last July, 7,411 Koreans arrived aside from 6,708 from Taiwan; 3,856, from China; 672, from Hong Kong; and 330, from Japan.
Trompeta said the DOT is still waiting for the August revenue records.
He said that last month’s receipts and number of tourists are expected to decrease primarily because of the August 23 hostage crisis in Manila that claimed the lives of eight Homg Kong tourists.
But Trompeta said he hopes that tourism will pick up in the next three months.
From August 23 to 26 alone, 351 cancellations in hotel bookings and reservations have already been reported equivalent to revenue losses of P7.439 million.
The figure represents only room costs, and if possible expenses of tourists on meals, transportation and other expenses are included, the amount could reach P20 million to 30 million.
About 5,000 tourists from Hong Kong and 20,000 from mainland China arrived in Boracay from January to June this year. China and Hong Kong comprise five to 10 percent of Boracay’s tourist arrivals.*
