BORACAY ARRIVALS HIGH AMID CONCERNS
President Rodrigo Duterte earlier threatened to close the island, calling it a cesspool Boracay is the region’s biggest tourism draw, raking in 4,500 to 5,000 visitors daily
The Department of Tourism (DOT) in Western Visayas remained optimistic about hitting the tourist arrivals target of 6.1 million this year, amid concerns hounding Boracay Island in Aklan, the region’s top tourist destination.
DOT-Western Visayas Director Helen Catalbas, on the sidelines of a tourism awareness conference at L’ Fisher Hotel in Bacolod City on Tuesday, said they are not stopping the promotion and marketing of Boracay while the “cleansing” process continues.
President Rodrigo Duterte warned he will close the island if its environmental problems are not resolved in six months. Catalbas said they are confident that the cleansing period set by the President is achievable within two to four months.
There is still a need to strengthen tourism campaigns of other provinces in the region, including Negros Occidental, she added.
“While we are into cleansing and monitoring tourist arrival movement, we are not stopping our promotion efforts,” Catalbas said, adding that “there is no let up in marketing Boracay and other tourist destinations in Western Visayas.” Partial reports of DOT-Western Visayas showed tourist arrivals in Western Visayas last year was about 5.5 million, higher than 5.1 million in 2016.
The 2017 target of 5.5 million was already achieved. The figure comprises only about 95 percent of last year’s total tourist arrivals since other provinces have yet to submit their final reports.
No travel cancellations
Since the issue on the possible closure of Boracay blew up earlier this month, the DOT-Western Visayas has not yet monitored a decrease in the number of tourists visiting to the island.
The average guest arrivals in Boracay still range from 4,500 to 5,000 per day, she added.
Augmentation
In 2016, Aklan ranked first with the highest number of tourists at 1.9 million. Negros Occidental, including Bacolod City, was second at about 1.6 million. Catalbas said that if there would be a slight decline in the number of tourists in Boracay, it would be overtaken by the strengths of the cities in provinces of Negros Occidental, Iloilo and Antique. This means that all the other destinations are getting stronger, she said.
Catalbas said the agency’s purpose in marketing other provinces is to narrow the gap between Boracay, which is so high, and other destinations in the region.
“Negros Occidental and Bacolod City can really contribute a lot in keeping the region’s tourist arrivals,” the DOT-6 official said, adding that “we are really pushing for further development of other provinces while maintaining Boracay.”
Initiatives
As part of the measures to boost tourism in Western Visayas, the DOT recognizes the need to host more events in the region. Catalbas said they will strengthen already-established festivals to invite more tourists and sustain the tourist arrivals, adding that the region will campaign for more investments on accommodation and food sector development.
“We are also banking on additional flights and boat trips to bring in more tourists to Bacolod and other Negros Occidental cities and municipalities,” she added.
Catalbas said that sports tourism is another asset of Western Visayas. The region is currently hosting two major sporting events, including the National State Colleges and Universities Athletic Association Meet and Western Visayas Regional Athletic Association Meet in Antique and Iloilo, respectively.
“I am sure Western Visayas is a strong destination for sports tourism,” Catalbas said. /