KALIBO, Aklan -- Five international cruise ships from Europe and America are anticipated to carry and bring in 10,000 passengers to Boracay Island here.

Niven Maquirang, executive assistant of Gov. Jose Enrique Miraflores, confirmed that this November and December, the island will be hosting more foreign tourists with the arrival of the cruise ships.

Maquirang said that such cruise ship travel would have a positive impact on reviving and strengthening the tourism industry on Boracay Island.

Malay town mayor Frolibar Bautista said that the local government is happy that cruise ship arrivals will resume on Boracay Island as this would help the economy of the island and the province bounce back.

“These cruise ships are carrying international passengers and tourists. These tourists disembark and have short visits and explorations of the white-sand beaches, museums, souvenir shops, and restaurants. They will witness and experience the beauty of the island and, at the same time, participate in the economic activities,” Bautista said.

The mayor added that before the COVID-19 pandemic, more foreign tourists visited Boracay Island than domestic tourists where a big chunk of the tourism receipts of the island came from these foreign visitors.

Just like Mayor Bautista, many Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) on the island are pleased with the resumption of cruise ship arrivals and the economic development of the island.

“We hope and pray that more tourists will visit the island. We are glad about the arrivals of cruise ship here in Boracay because these will bring also more foreign tourists and somehow affect positively our businesses here,” Helen Punay who had a vegetable section for 12 years in Boracay and now shifted to restaurant and “paluto” (cooking) services, which mostly serve seafood such as king crab and lobster, which are mostly foreign visitors’ favorite dishes.

As mentioned in the State of the Province Address of Governor Jose Enrique Miraflores, the provincial government of Aklan has continuously improved facilities in terminals and ports, which include Cagban Jetty Port in Boracay Island. 

A new ramp and canopy are installed for the convenience of passengers and tourists.

Moreover, to further improve the accommodation of cruise ship arrivals on the island, the provincial government proposed the Aklan Provincial Marina Project, which seeks to transform the reclamation area into a hub for cruise ship tourism with vertical and horizontal infrastructure and modern facilities.  

Based on the records of the Malay Municipal Tourism Office, Boracay Island received a total of 1,759,592 tourists in 2022, when travel restrictions were relaxed by the local government of Malay. 

From the said number, 1,588,079 were domestic tourists; 132,687 were foreign tourists; and 38, 826 were Overseas Filipino Workers.

From January 1 to October 15 of this year, Boracay tourist arrivals reached 1,715,194. Of which, 1,343,445 were domestic tourists; 337,152 were international tourists; and 34,597 were OFWS/OFs. (AGP/SQP/PIA Aklan)