Boracay daily tourist arrivals hit 7,000

MANILA, Philippines — Tourist arrivals in Boracay increased this week as the local government recorded more than 7,000  visitors per day.

“We breached the 7,000 mark especially on Thursdays and Fridays because of the weekend,” Aklan police chief Lt. Col. Don de Dios said in an interview over dzBB.

The tourism office in Malay, Aklan said 150,597 tourists visited Boracay last month.

Up to 146,000 are local travelers, 1,624 are returning Filipinos and 2,533 foreigners.

The tally of visitors in March at 150,597 was almost double compared to 80,882 in February.

While a majority of those who visited were local tourists, De Dios said more foreigners are expected this month after the government eased travel restrictions.

Data showed that most of the foreigners who visited Boracay last month were from the United States at 603 followed by the United Kingdom, 211; United Arab Emirates, 201; Germany, 161; Canada, 137, and Australia, 121.

About 80 percent of business establishments in Boracay are now operational.

Algal bloom recurrence

While giving assurance that the waters of Boracay remain ”very clean,” the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will create a new team of experts to conduct studies on the recurrence of algal blooms.

“I am still forming a team. I want the study conducted by the UP (University of the Philippines) Marine Science Institute and the DENR. We will work together to make the report credible,” acting Environment Secretary Jim Sampulna said yesterday.

The DENR said the coliform level in Boracay’s front beach was measured at 11 most probable number per 100 milliliters.

“This shows that the island’s waters meet the water quality standard suitable for swimming, skin diving and other recreational activities,” the department said.

The Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force and Boracay Inter-Agency Rehabilitation and Management Group are continuously monitoring the quality of water in Boracay aside from enforcing environmental laws to protect the world-class island resort. – Elizabeth Marcelo