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[av_heading heading=’KIA mgr sees sharp drop in Boracay tourist arrivals’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=’30’ subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’18’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
BY BOY RYAN ZABAL
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Tuesday, March 20, 2018
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BORACAY – Stakeholders must expect a serious drop in tourist arrivals in this famed island destination if it closes for a year, a local airport official said.
Airport manager in Western Visayas Efren Nagrama stressed that about 90 percent of inbound passengers at the Kalibo International Airport (KIA) are headed to Boracay.
“The impact of Boracay closure is huge. [It] will hit the tourism industry of Aklan as well as the transport sector,” Nagrama added.
KIA is one of the busiest regional airports in the country. It caters to domestic and international flights, including trips to and from mainland China, South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Manila, Cebu, and Davao.
While Nagrama agreed that the mulled island yearlong closure will allow them to fix KIA facilities – like the ongoing asphalt overlay works of the Department of Transportation – he said the shutdown will also force airlines to cancel flights to and from Kalibo and Caticlan airports.
This may result to some tourists also cancelling their trips to the province – a loss for the tourism industry that contributes a big amount of revenue both to the local and national governments.
The island last year accommodated over two million domestic and foreign tourists, generating about P56-billion tourism receipts.
Tourism regional director Helen Catalbas has said Boracay may not reach its 2.2-million tourist arrival target this year.
This will affect registered workers and members of the informal economy in the island. Workers have earlier expressed their worries over possible massive job displacement if the closure pushes through.
An inter-agency group was tasked to conduct massive crackdown on erring business establishments in the island early this month. It has members from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Department of Interior and Local Government and the Department of Tourism. (Aklan Forum Journal/PN)
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