Slow tourist arrivals in Boracay Island for the annual All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day holidays has been observed by tourism authorities and local officials.
Based on the data from the Malay, Aklan Municipal Tourism Office, the total tourist arrivals in the island reached 1,944, majority within the 22 to 29 years old age group. Of the arrivals, 1,113 or about 57 percent of visitors came from the National Capital Region (NCR), followed by residents of Aklan (737), Iloilo City (52), Bacolod City (16), and other parts of the Western Visayas Region.
Majority of tourists flew by air, while 818 of the arrivals traveled by land. Twenty three tourists residing in nearby towns chose to travel by sea.
Citing a report from the Department of Tourism (DOT) Region 6, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat told the Manila Bulletin that the highest number of tourists entering Boracay in a day was 208 last Oct. 25, with 194 tourists from Metro Manila still topping the list arrivals per region.
The local tourism office said the figures may signal the start of the Undas holiday.
“There is an increase in tourist arrivals from the opening of the island happening usually during weekends; the same goes to the increase in tourists coming from NCR,” it said.
But Puyat hopes that the brewing super typhoon will not hamper the recovery of the island.
The island’s carrying capacity at any given time remains at around 19,000 since its reopening after the massive rehabilitation project. But the entry of tourists is far from the estimated 67,000 domestic arrivals recorded in the same month last year.
But so far, the tourism chief shared there was no recorded untoward incident since its reopening to more local tourists last Oct. 1.