More Europeans, Russians Visit Boracay

The number of European and Russian tourists who visited Boracay in 2016 increased, data from Malay Municipal Tourism Office showed.

The island received a total of 58,831 European tourists in 2016, higher compared to 56,578 in 2015, while some 11,593 Russian visitors were listed in 2016, also higher compared to 11,277 in 2015.

Kris Vellete, officer-in-charge of the Department of Tourism Boracay, said Thursday the increase in the number of European and Russian tourists is an indication of the successful promotion and marketing for the island.

“European tourists are one of the quality tourists because they are long staying guests and they spend more,” Vellete added.

To promote Boracay, some billboards and vehicles sporting the Philippine destination are rolled out in some European cities.

On the other hand, Vellete said the upward trend is not just among European and Russian tourists.

“There is also a surge in the number of Indians and Saudi Arabians who visited the island last year,” he said.

In 2016, the island received a total of 15,681 Saudi Arabians and 3,523 Indians.

Vellete also stressed that Boracay received more foreign tourists in 2016 than domestic tourists.

A total of 1,725,483 arrivals for Boracay in 2016, 11 percent higher compared to the 1,560,106 arrivals in 2015.

Tourism data showed that a total of 868,765 foreign arrivals, 813,302 domestic tourists and 43,416 are overseas Filipino workers.

Korean tourists still dominate the top foreign visitors here with total arrivals of 321,016, followed by China with 273,297.

With the good relationship of the Philippines and China, it is expected that the number of Chinese tourists will increase this year.

Vellete also added that the Korean market will also continue to surge due to the additional number of establishments catered for them.

For 2017, Vellete said they target at least 15 percent increase in tourism arrivals. (PNA)FPV/AJP/KVBERMEJO