BORACAY—Topline Hi Tech and Synergy Corp., the technology unit of Cebu-based Top Line Business Development Corp., has launched a ₱150-million automated ticketing system that is expected to ease the arrival of foreign and domestic tourists to the country’s most popular beach destination.

Topline Hi Tech, in partnership with the local government of Aklan, launched the Unified Automated Ticketing System (UATS) on Tuesday, Aug. 5, at Caticlan Jetty Port Terminal, a short ferry ride away from Boracay.

Branded as “LezzGo Boracay,” the UATS is Boracay’s first fully automated online and on-site, end-to-end ticketing and fee collection system, accelerating the otherwise lengthy travel process at the island’s entry and exit ports.

The new port system consolidates the terminal, environmental, and boat fees, as well as the passenger manifesto, into a single automated transaction.

This significantly reduces processing time from the usual 30 to 40 minutes to just around 10 to 15 minutes.

The LezzGo Boracay is in full implementation at the main ports of Caticlan and Cagban, while it partially operates in Tabon and Tambisaan, which serve as alternate ports.

To accommodate all types of tourists, the system will not be a purely web-based platform, as an on-site payment scheme will still be made available, while a dedicated mobile application is scheduled to launch early next year.

For an even speedier process, tourists can also book their ferry ride in advance at the LezzGo platform, with payment options including credit or debit cards and e-wallets.

Topline Hi Tech expects the UATS to process over 10,000 tourists daily across Boracay’s main ports, a substantial increase from the current daily capacity of 5,000 to 6,000 tourists under manual operations.

Boracay typically sees 4,000 to 5,000 tourists a day, reaching as high as 8,000 tourists a day during the peak season.

Approximately 25 percent of the tourist arrivals on the island are foreigners, a bulk of which comes from South Korea, followed by China.

For Aklan Governor Jose Enrique Miraflores, the challenge for Boracay is to raise the number of foreign tourists to the level it once reached before the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Our usual, Chinese, South Koreans, they comprise almost more than 50 percent of the international tourists pre-pandemic and pre-closure. So we are working with other agencies on how to bring back these foreign tourists to the island,” he said in a press conference.

Miraflores said Topline Hi Tech’s LezzGo system is an important first step in the government’s efforts since it will ease the burden associated with entering Boracay.

“This is the solution that we've seen with them, to lessen the burden for the tourists. And of course, we also want to innovate on how we can provide a good experience for our tourists. So I believe that this is one of the answers that will help the arrival of tourists here,” he added.

Boracay is aiming to welcome approximately two million tourists this year, roughly the same figure from last year.

Buying tickets at LezzGo Boracay instead of the conventional scheme will be slightly more costly, since it will add a ₱35 per-way convenience fee starting next month.

An additional ₱15 booking fee will be applied to online payments starting next year.

Topline Hi Tech President and CEO Eugene Erik Lim said these additional costs are in place to ensure that tourists will have a seamless travel experience to and from Boracay

Lim said two percent of revenues collected from the convenience fees will be remitted to the local government units operating the ports.

The company’s LezzGo Boracay is still in its first phase of implementation.

It is planning to spend ₱50 million in the second phase, which will cover the deployment of automated ticketing kiosks outside of the ports, which are expected to be operational starting next year.