Tourist arrivals to Boracay continue to surge
BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL

BORACAY- Tourist arrivals in Boracay Island surged to 558,000 during the January-to-July period this year compared from a year earlier to 503,000.

The island resort also managed to lure tourists of 55,000 from July 1 to 25 compared to 58,322 in July last year, said Aklan Governor Carlito Marquez in his Governor’s Report to the People over RGMA DyRU Super Radyo Kalibo.

“The collections in the jetty port totalled P77.7 million for the first seven months of the year from P73.8 million of same period in 2010,” Marquez stressed, adding, the July’s slight slump in the number of tourists was due to bad weather.

The governor said better tourist facilities and services in Sitio Tambisaan in Manoc-Manoc and Tabon in Caticlan will address the needs of tourists diverted during the southwest monsoon months.

The provincial government has targeted attracting one million tourists in the world renowned beach island by 2012. Boracay Island generated P14 billion tourism receipts from its all-time high 780,000 local and foreign visitors last year, records of the Department of Tourism showed.

Meanwhile, budget airline Zest Air began its maiden flight from Taipei, Taiwan to Kalibo International Airport on July 10 with 160 passengers.

Marquez said more airlines are flying to Kalibo from South Korea and Shanghai, China to carry inbound travellers.

“The increase of their flights to Aklan is expected to boost the tourism and business in the province,” he added.