ILOILO City – In 2017, the Department of Tourism (DOT) Region 6 recorded a total of 5,852,937 tourist arrivals for the whole Western Visayas, where Boracay Island contributed the highest percentage at 34 percent, or 2, 220, 821 of the total tourist arrivals of the region in that year.
Western Visayas’ target for 2018 remains at 5.5 million, where 1,689,577 is expected to come from the Province of Aklan. However, due to the ongoing rehabilitation activities and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’s (DENR) carrying capacity study which will be out on April 22, the DOT will adjust and set the new target for Boracay Island according to the result of the study.
Boracay Island has been declared closed by President Rodrigo RoaDuterte for 6 months effective April 26, 2018. Despite the scheduled closure of Boracay Island, DOT 6 regional director Atty. Helen Catalbas is confident that the region will reach the target as other provinces- Mainland Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo and Negros Occidental actively work hand in hand to develop and promote their respective provinces to attract and draw tourists./PN
