By BOY RYAN B. ZABAL
BORACAY — Tourist arrivals in this island increased by 9.25 percent in the first four months of the year, the Department of Tourism (DOT) said.
Tourism officer Artemio Ticar said tourist count from January to April this year reached 567,547, up from 519,462 during the same period last year.
In April alone, there were 184,071 arrivals — an increase of 13 percent from 162,237 in the same month last year — Ticar noted.
In the same month, domestic tourists accounted for 128,610 or 69 percent of the total arrivals, said the tourism officer.
Tourist arrivals are expected to grow tremendously due to the rising popularity of international cruises docking in Boracay.
The present tourist arrival growth, however, is primarily attributed to the summer months.
Tourist arrivals have been naturally increasing in the last 10 years, Ticar said.
Visitors from China, Korea, Taiwan, Russia and the United States had been leading the volume of tourists in the past four months.
Other emerging markets are tourists from Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Germany, Australia and Sweden.
DOT hopes to attract 1.5 million tourists this year.
Last year Boracay registered 1,363,601 tourists — up from 1,206,252 arrivals in 2012 — and P25,067,622,623.40 in tourism receipts. (Aklan Forum Journal/PN)
