Boracay tourist arrivals surge during holidays

ILOILO CITY, Philippines — Boracay Island in Malay, Aklan remains the country’s top tourist destination, especially during the Yuletide.

Mayor Frolibar Bautista said the island received 25,000 tourists from Dec. 23 to 25.

On Dec. 26 alone, the local government estimated the number of tourists at around 10,000.

Before the holidays, Bautista said Boracay received from 5,000 to 6,000 visitors per day. 

Records from the municipal tourism office showed 79,357 people visited Boracay from Dec. 1 to 15.

The figure included 63, 240 local visitors, 15,182 foreigners and 935 overseas Filipino workers.

In November, Boracay received 162,451 visitors, Bautista said, adding that local tourists remain as the foundation of the Malay tourism industry.

Bautista said the number of European tourists in Boracay increased recently. 

He attributed the increase in the number of European visitors to the participation of Boracay in the World Travel Market  London 2024. 

Prior to the London  tourism event, Bautista said that Boracay’s top visitors were mostly Chinese and South Koreans.

He said the West Philippine Sea issue could have affected the arrival of  Chinese visitors in Boracay.