*Sand castle at world-famous Boracay Island in Malay town, Aklan province. (Malay Boracay Tourism Office)*
ILOILO CITY -- There’s a possibility that tourists visiting the world-famous Boracay Island may reach two million by the end of the year. “At the rate it's going, we will probably exceed the 1.8 million target for 2023 and it may even be more than 2 million,” Malay Mayor Frolibar Bautista told Manila Bulletin while in Iloilo City attending the Central Philippines Tourism Expo. The resort island in Malay town off Panay Island in Western Visayas region has already hit the one-million mark in tourists’ arrivals in the first five of 2023. Data from the Malay Tourism Office showed that from January 1 to June 15, a total of 1,040,847 local and foreign tourists visited the island resort. Of the total number, 199,098 were foreign visitors, 816,426 local tourists and 25,323 overseas Filipino workers. According to Bautista, the spike in tourist arrivals for the year was due to both the private and government agencies that chose to hold their meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibits (MICE) in the resort. Apart from its white sand beaches, Boracay is also noted for being one of the world's top destinations for relaxation. Even prior to the pandemic, Boracay was a well-known MICE destination in the country. There’s also a steady increase of foreign tourists, especially from South Korea and China as direct international flights have resumed at the airport in the provincial capital of Kalibo.