Western Visayas earns P70 B from 5.3-M tourists

By TARA YAP

ILOILO CITY – The Department of Tourism-6 reported that Western Visayas earned more than P70 billion from tourism in 2023.

The Sun sets at world-famous Boracay Island.  (Tara Yap)

The region also registered a 22.8 percent growth in tourist arrivals with 5.36 million visiting key destinations compared to last year.

DOT-6 Assistant Regional Director Phoebe Zelie C. Areño said there were only 4.2 million visitors in 2022.

“Our tourism has bounced back from the pandemic,” Areño said.

The province of Aklan topped earnings with P44.4 billion due to the influx of 2.2 million tourists in Boracay Island, the country’s most famous beach destination in Malay town.

The regional capital of Iloilo City was second with P8.29 billion from 886,283 tourists.

Bacolod City earned P7.1 billion from 780, 916 tourists; Negros Occidental P6.22 billion from 694,015 tourists; province of Iloilo, which has 42 towns and the component city of Passi, earned P2.27 billion from 318,535 tourists; the province of Capiz earned P689.3 million from 196,844 tourists; Antique earned P564.8 million from 149,509 tourists, and the island-province of Guimaras earned P427.5 million from 133,818 tourists.

The DOT-6 forecast higher earnings this year as key areas of the region are not only being visited but are also being tapped as locations for key conferences and seminars.