“We meet the one million mark and we are not expecting that much because the target was 1.8 million. If this will be the trend, we will exceed two million at the end of the year,” Mayor Frolibar Bautista said in an interview.

Data showed that from January to June 17, the island recorded 1,040,847 arrivals consisting of 199,098 foreign visitors; 816,426 local tourists and 25,323 overseas Filipino workers.

For the same period last year, around 850,047 guests visited the island.

Bautista attributed the high arrivals to their hosting of meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibits (MICE).

He said that from the 20 percent share of foreign tourists, they expect it to increase to 30 percent once visitors from South Korea and China start coming in next month.

Malay chief tourism operations officer Felix G. delos Santos Jr. said that most of their pre-pandemic guests were from the international market.

But with only one direct flight coming in from China and Korea, their record showed higher domestic guests.

Most of their foreign guests are Koreans, Chinese, Americans and those from countries in Europe, Delos Santos said.

He said that in terms of arrivals, their tourism industry is now 80 percent recovered and the resumption of direct international flights is one factor to achieve the 100 percent recovery rate.

Delos Santos said currently, they have 376 operational accommodation establishments, which is lower than the 398 before the pandemic.

Bautista said they have not imposed new protocols for guests visiting the island and even wearing of face mask is optional.PNA

A P19.6-million two-storey building will soon rise in Malay, Aklan including the completion of the public market facility which aims to uplift the local business community and empower small-scale entrepreneurs.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH-6) through the Aklan District Engineering Office, commences this 2,800- square meter public market building which will sit in Barangay Caticlan, Malay town in Aklan.

In a news release, DPWH 6 regional director Nerie D. Bueno emphasized the project’s potential for driving economic growth and improving the livelihood of the residents.

“The improvement of the public market building is expected to increase microenterprises and provide an innovative area to promote job opportunities for local development,” said Bueno.

Upon completion, the building is envisioned to provide enhanced spaces for local vendors to showcase their products and engage with customers for a more organized and comfortable shopping experience.

The public market building is also expected to generate local employment opportunities and create jobs in various sectors, ranging from construction workers to vendors and support staff, providing a much-needed boost to the local workforce.

With modern, well-equipped stalls and developed market space, the DPWH is poised to create a dynamic platform for entrepreneurs in Malay town.AAL/AGP/PIA 6 with reports from DPWH-6

“While it is the tradition of Filipinos to prepare ham during Christmas and New Year, we have to consider the risk that it will cause because we still have a continuing battle against ASF,” Bureau of Animal Industry-Veterinary Quarantine Station Aklan provincial coordinator Dr. Wendel Maglantay said in an interview on Thursday, Dec. 22.

The pork products, including undocumented and unlabeled ham, estimated to be worth close to PHP2 million was apprehended on Dec. 17.

Maglantay said that apprehended shipments can be returned to the sending entity within 24 hours, otherwise, it will be considered abandoned and be subjected to proper disposal.

The province’s General Ordinance 2011-011 that governs the prevention and control of the ASF in the province, bans the entry of all pork and pork-based products to the province, whether labeled or unlabeled, if they came from areas with cases of the animal disease.

In Oct. 14 this year, the provincial government issued Executive Order No. 45 reiterating the prohibition following the confirmation of ASF cases in Iloilo.

Maglantay said a 24-hour monitoring is continuously being conducted at the Caticlan and Kalibo airports and at the busy port in Caticlan.

Vessels coming from Manila and Mindoro passes by the Caticlan Jetty Port as their port of entry in going to various areas in Western Visayas.

In a separate interview, Aklan veterinarian Dr. Joseph Lachica said they are very strict with the conduct of border control since they are not only guarding against the entrance of ASF but also avian influenza.

“We are now regulating pork and chicken, especially that there are now cases of bird flu in Capiz. Executive Order No. 056, series of 22, now prohibits live birds coming from Luzon and Capiz, except for eggs and meat products. For ASF, Aklan has banned all live and pork products from other provinces in Panay Island,” he said.

The border control is situated at the airport and jetty port while a random check is being conducted in other ports that served as berthing areas of motorized bancas.

Aklan currently remains free from the ASF.PNA

CAAP-Aklan manager Engr. John William Fuerte said that the TigerAir Taiwan of the China Airlines Group will recommence flights to Kalibo starting December 29, 2022.

According to Fuerte, this is the newest addition of international flights at KIA before the year ends, in time for the influx of tourists and guests in Boracay Island for the celebration of New Year and Kalibo Ati-atihan Festival.

The said airline will be using Airbus-320 aircraft that has a carrying capacity of 180 passengers.

With such development, Fuerte said that this will help the tourism industry and economy of the province to grow further.

Presently, other direct international flights from Korea – the Air Seoul, T’Way Airlines, and JinAir remain their operations at KIA with two flights per day and seen to have more schedules by March next year.

Fuerte also revealed that airline companies from Singapore have expressed interests to have direct flights to Kalibo; which could possibly start their operations at KIA in the first part of 2023.

Aside from this, there is a current negotiation to have direct flights from Malaysia and China. AAL/SQP/PIA-Aklan

The Island of Boracay in Malay, Aklan continues to prove its allure as a tourist haven and regain its spot in the tourism industry, as it was hailed as the Top Island in Asia in the 2022 Condé Nast Traveler (CNT) Readers’ Choice Awards.

Based on the US-based luxury and lifestyle travel magazine’s website, the Island, known for its white sandy beaches and pristine waters, earned a rating of 95.13 in securing the top spot.

Boracay Island bested Bali, Indonesia; Koh Samui, Thailand; Langkawi, Malaysia; which ranked second, third, and fourth, respectively.

Also included in the list were Phuket, Thailand in fifth place; Phú Quôc, Vietnam in sixth spot; Sri Lanka (7th); Okinawa and Ryukyu Islands, Japan (9th); and Phi Phi Islands, Thailand (10th).

Meanwhile, Palawan, which is also a gem and pride of the Philippines, got the eight spot with a score of 88.99.

CNT also recognized the Philippines with a score of 86.66, for securing the 30th place out of the 48 Top Countries in the World to travel to.

In a statement, Department of Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco expressed her and the agency’s gratitude for the international awards for the Philippines based on the opinion and experience of travelers from all over the world.

Tourists continues to flock in Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan. Boracay, known for for its white sandy beaches and pristine waters received 122,373 tourists in September 2022. (SQP/PIA-Aklan)

She noted that such recognitions affirm everybody’s efforts to herald not only the country’s natural wonders but also the readiness to become the premier tourist destination in Asia.

Fasco added that she is confident that the acclaim for the country’s flagship destinations will help garner more international interest to the Philippines.AAL/SQP/PIA Aklan

The number of tourists who visited the world-renowned Boracay Island in Malay, Aklan reached more than one million in the first eight months of 2022.

From January to August, a total of 1,189,481 tourists went to Boracay, data from the Malay Municipal Tourism Office showed.

Of the number, majority or 1,110,294 were local tourists; 55,184 were foreign visitors; and 24,003 were overseas Filipinos.

The highest number of tourists was recorded in May

with 201,368; followed by June with 193,650 tourists; April with 186,751; and July with 183,096.

The the local tourism office attributed the increase in foreign and domestic tourist arrivals the resumption of international flights at the Kalibo International Airport and easing of travel restrictions.

Those who are interested to visit the island are required to secure necessary documents such as the proof of vaccination status and Quick Response (QR) Codes, which could be accessed and registered at https://touristboracay.com/.

They are also required to present the proof of identification with Philippine residency or passport for foreigners/OFWs/OF; and birth certificate for infants.

Their copies of a confirmed hotel booking slips/voucher s from the establishment accredited by the Department of Tourism and their round trip flight/travel details are also needed.

For partially vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals, negative RT-PCRT resultS should be submitted; while for below 12 years old, parents or guardians should accomplish Certificate of Undertaking Travelling with Minors templates.IMT