In a recent development, the Boracay Island Tourism Office has announced that the island has received more than 500,000 tourist arrivals for this year. This is a huge jump from the numbers in previous years, and it has raised concerns among locals and environmentalists about the impact of tourism on Boracay’s ecology.
After the lifting of quarantine restrictions, tourists continue to flock to this popular beach resort. Data from the Malay Municipal Tourism Office revealed that more than 512,000 visitors have visited the island between February 1 and May 16.
The island has seen the most tourists in its history, with 186,751 visitors in April during a pandemic.
The island registered 93,907 visitors during May 1 through 16, or 5,869 current daily visitors per day.
The number of visitors in March 2022 was 150,597, which was greater than the 80,882 tourists that visited in February 2022.
In 2017, the number of non-Filipinos visiting Boracay surpassed 9,900, accounting for almost two percent of total arrivals between February 1 and May 16.
The United States attracted the most inbound foreign tourists, with 2,004. The United Kingdom was second with 845.
The inbound foreign tourists that traveled to the United States from China grew by nearly 18 percent from 2018 to 2019, reaching 9,984. Americans made up 20% of the overall inbound foreign tourists in 2019.
Other top tourist destinations were Australia (789), Germany (554) and South Korea (488).
The top 10 countries for inbound tourism to the United States were Canada, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, China, Australia, France and Germany.
Tourists who arrive in the island must have vaccination papers. There are no further restrictions on entry.
Flights from South Korea, Taiwan, and mainland China are yet to resume at Kalibo International Airport.
