BORACAY – Boracay Island drew 1,452,853 tourist arrivals from January to August this year, a 4.92 percent decrease compared to 1,528,095 tourist arrivals from the same period last year.
In August alone, the island accommodated 127,549 domestic tourists compared with 138,819 travelers in the previous year.
Malay Municipal Tourism Office also recorded 30,596 foreign visitors in August, a decrease of 19.46 percent from 37,990 tourists last year.
Bulk of inbound markets came from South Korea, Taiwan and United States of America.
The sharp drop in the number of foreign tourists is attributed to the decrease of Chinese tourist arrivals due to the ongoing maritime dispute and limited regional flights to Kalibo International Airport and Caticlan Airport from Incheon, South Korea and Taipei, Taiwan.
Overall, Boracay also welcomed 1,140, 442 domestic tourists, while foreigners hit 292,385 mark in the first eight months in 2024.
Of the figures, the months of May, June and July received 480,570 domestic travelers, or 42 percent of the total arrivals.
Despite the international travel remains bleak this year, Boracay is forecasting more than 2.3 million tourists. The prime tourist destination attracted 2,150,419 tourists in 2023.
The island is recognized among the “8 visited island destination in Asia’ by TimesTravel of the Times of India./PN
