ILOILO CITY – Although the country is still reeling from the shock of panemic, more than 1.75 million tourists visited Boracay Island in Malay town, Aklan province in 2022.

The number was the biggest annual tourist arrivals during the Covid-19 pandemic. The dreaded corona virus was detected late in 2019 but the pandemic was declared early 2020.

The January-December 2022 arrivals fell short of the more than two million tourists that visited the country’s most popular beach destination in 2019.

Data from the Malay Municipal Tourism Office showed that the majority of the visitors were from domestic with 1.58 million.

Foreign tourists accounted for 132,687 arrivals while there were 38,826 Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).

The biggest tourist arrivals happened in May with a total of 201,368 tourists. This consisted of 193,298 domestic tourists; 3,882 OFWs; and 3,802 foreign tourists.

The return of pre-pandemic tourist numbers were largely attributed to the easing of travel restrictions and the reopening of international flights at the airport in Kalibo town.

The years 2020 and 2021 saw a dramatic decline in tourist’s arrivals in most resorts all over the world because of the pandemic.

Boracay, known for its powdery white sand and pristine water, was not spared. Tourists had to observe numerous policies, including Covid-19 swab tests, before they were allowed to enter the resort island.

Somehow, the tourists’ arrivals improved because of vaccines.