MAY 20 (PCOO) — Boracay Island is now the Philippines’ new cruise ship destination, apart from being one of the best beaches in the world.
“We received nine cruise ship visits last year. Of the figure, four were maiden voyages from the world’s most luxurious cruise liners,” Aklan Governor Joeben Miraflores boasted during the international conference on enhancing tourism competitiveness in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) region held here Tuesday.
This year, 12 cruise ship visits, mostly by Royal Caribbean, have been scheduled, Miraflores added.
“Right now, the national government has allocated a budget to develop a port in Caticlan in the mainland of Aklan to receive these cruise ships in the future,” he said.
In the same event, the local executive chief underscored Aklan’s huge contribution to the economy, owing to Boracay’s vibrant tourism industry.
”Translated into tourism receipts, visitor arrivals in 2014, as per the Department of Tourism Region 6 estimates, were able to generate P41 billion for the country’s economy,” Miraflores said.
Boracay Island is hosting the APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting and Related Meetings and the Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting from May 10 to 24. PNA (ldv) (Boracay Island, Aklan)