BORACAY ISLAND, Aklan — The number of tourist arrivals of this resort island remains high despite a possible closure.
The Municipal Tourism Office of Malay also remained optimistic that it will still reach its target number of tourists for the Holy Week this year, considered as the super peak season of the world-famous island.
From Monday until Easter Sunday, at least 58,000 tourists are expected to visit the island, said Felix delos Santos, chief of the tourism unit of Malay.
Last year, the island received 54,887 local and foreign tourists during the same period.
Delos Santos said tourism statistics in the island remain high even after the pronouncement made by President Rodrigo Duterte last February saying the island is a “cesspool”.
Data from Malay tourism office showed that the island received 145,555 tourists from March 1 to 26, higher than last year’s 137,993.
Tourist arrivals in January reached to 186,893 this year, 10 percent higher than last year’s 169,843.
In February, it rose to 186,893 which is 9 percent higher than last year’s 136,578 arrivals.
Delos Santos said Chinese tourists remain as the number one tourists of the island, followed by Koreans and Taiwanese.
However, Delos Santos said that the number of arrivals decreased in the middle of this month.
Meanwhile, a group of Chinese and Taiwanese community here said tourist arrivals may decrease in the following months because of the impact of the earlier recommendation to close the island for six months.
Thomas Santiago, president of the Boracay Filipino Chinese Association said there is already a cancellation on chartered flights from China and Taiwan.
He said at least three scheduled flights have been cancelled for the month of April.
Santiago said they support the cleanup of the island but they are against the total closure.
He said the closure to give way for the cleanup should be done gradually or by phase. (Karen Bermejo/PNA)
