Bizmen prepares for onset of summer, peak season in Boracay

Boracay beachfront (Dayanetang / Wikipedia)

ILOILO CITY — Despite the power woes, the hotel and resort owners have doubled their preparation owing to the gradual arrival of both domestic and foreign tourists in Boracay Island now-a-days with the start of the super peak and summer season.

Atty. Helen Catalbas, regional director of the Department of Tourism (DOT-6), said they are expecting the influx of tourists during the coming Holy Week season.

Catalbas said Korean and Chinese tourists topped the number of foreign tourists vacationing in the island-resort during the first two months of this year.

She said that Korea still dominates tourist arrivals compared to other Asian and European countries recorded at 64,565 or 45 percent of the total 143,879 foreign tourists vacationing in Boracay from January to February this year.

Ranked second were Chinese tourists despite their country’s issuance of the travel advisory against the Philippines.

Also included in the Top 10 tourist arrivals in Boracay were countries of Malaysia, Russia, United Kingdom, Japan and Germany.

Under the vibrant tourism industry, the DOT-6 expressed confidence to attain the target of 1.6 million tourist arrival set for the year 2015.

It was learned that Malaysian Tourism Fair has recognized Boracay Island as the favorite beach destination this year based on the natural beauty and and white sand beach of the island-paradise.

Philippine Ambassador to Malaysia Eduardo Malaya said the recognition was based on the Malaysian Association of Tour & Travel Agents (MATTA) for the yearly MATTA Fair.

The event is slated on March 13-15, 2015 at the Punta World Trade Center in Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia.