The Island of Boracay, in Malay, Aklan received a total of 113,596 tourists in December 2021, according to the Malay Municipal Tourism Office.
Based on the record of the local tourism office, the said figure is so far the highest number of arrivals of tourists in Boracay since January 2020 when coronavirus pandemic struck the country. Before the pandemic, the island was able to welcome 4,000 to 6,000 visitors daily.
According to Malay tourism officer Felix delos Santos, the increase in tourist arrivals in December was mainly due to the long holidays, wherein tourists celebrated the Christmas and New Year’s Day in the island.
Majority of the visitors of the island last month came from the National Capital Region with 49,185 arrivals or 43% of the total arrivals.
It was followed by the local tourists from Western Visayas with 30,347 arrivals; CALABARZON with 19,161 arrivals; Central Luzon 8,139; and Central Visayas with 1,319.
Tourists who had spent their vacation in Boracay in the whole month of December were mostly 13-59 years old with 93,685; while ages 0-12 years old were 16,280; and 3,631 were ages 60 and up.
Meanwhile, with the surge of COVID-19 cases in NCR and the threat of Omicron variant in the country, the Provincial Government of Aklan issued an Executive Order No. 001-2022 on January 5, 2022 for tighter restrictions on travelers and tourists with January 9, as the effective date.
Aside from the confirmed hotel bookings, proof of identification with Philippine residency, round trip travel details and digital health declaration form, tourists going to Boracay once again should submit their negative RT-PCR test (swab or saliva) results taken 72 hours prior to departure.
Further, the Caticlan airport in Malay, Aklan will again be the only designated entry point for Boracay-bound tourists traveling by air starting January 9.AAL/SQP/PIA-Aklan
