BORACAY – Visitor numbers on the island are still below the pre-pandemic levels but it will slowly return in the coming summer season.
Due to international travel bans for leisure since March 2020, domestic travelers opted to visit and explore nature-based destinations.
Boracay has welcomed 184,000 domestic tourists for the year 2021 despite the lockdowns and travel restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic.
According to Malay Municipal Tourism Office, 310 foreign tourists have so far visited the island after the country reopened the borders for vaccinated foreigners.
All foreign tourists need to show their vaccination cards as a pre-entry requirement or if partially or unvaccinated they should present proof of negative Covid-10 test results within 72 hours before they board a flight.
Business establishments and tourism players rely heavily on international tourists to survive the challenges of the pandemic, and slightly loosening the pandemic prevention measures amongst tourists would revitalize the tourism industry.
Malay acting mayor Frolibar Bautista said the high vaccination rate of tourism workers and the easing of lockdown guidelines have boosted interest in travel to Boracay Island.
The inbound tourism continued to improve as domestic tourism keep Boracay Island afloat in a pandemic. The months of January and February saw a moderate rebound in domestic travel with more than 83,000 tourists.
Before the peak of the pandemic, nearly two million travelers visited the island annually. Traditionally, Chinese and Koreans account for almost 60 percent of Boracay’s foreign tourism./PN
