By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan
Tourism in Western Visayas continued to grow in 2024, with the Department of Tourism (DOT) estimating total visitor spending at PHP74.17 billion from 5.91 million tourist arrivals.
DOT-Western Visayas recorded a 10.25% increase in tourist arrivals compared to 2023, when the region welcomed 5.36 million visitors.
Data obtained by Daily Guardian from the regional DOT office also showed a 5.95% increase in tourism receipts, up from PHP70 billion in 2023.
The DOT defines tourism or visitor receipts as the estimated volume of consumption expenditures earned by a destination from visitors, calculated using data on visitor arrivals, average length of stay, and daily spending.
Aklan, home to the world-famous Boracay Island, generated the highest tourism revenue, earning PHP42.93 billion from 2.20 million arrivals.
Capiz recorded the highest growth in tourist arrivals at 43.73%, welcoming 282,929 visitors in 2024 compared to 196,844 in 2023.
Iloilo City also reached a milestone with 1.001 million arrivals, marking a 12.95% increase from 886,283 in 2023.
Other notable tourist arrival figures included Negros Occidental (883,514), Bacolod City (833,345), Iloilo province (358,475), Antique (210,301), and Guimaras (137,953).
DOT-Western Visayas Regional Director Crisanta Marlene Rodriguez reported on March 7 that the region’s 2024 tourist arrivals exceeded pre-pandemic levels by 0.38%, surpassing the 5.8 million recorded in 2019.
The region also welcomed 603,171 foreign and overseas Filipino tourists, generating an estimated PHP10.96 billion in revenue.
Rodriguez credited the increase to “strategic initiatives championed by the DOT, focused on innovation, inclusivity, and sustainability.”
She also cited Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines data, which showed 7.8 million passengers traveled through the region’s six airports in 2024.
The Godofredo P. Ramos Airport in Malay, Aklan, which serves Boracay Island, recorded the highest passenger traffic at 2.77 million.
It was followed by Iloilo International Airport (2.5 million), Bacolod-Silay Airport (1.68 million), Kalibo International Airport (532,186), Roxas City Airport (364,875), and Evelio B. Javier Airport in Antique (17,626).
Rodriguez expects further growth with the launch of Cebu Pacific’s Iloilo-Bangkok flight this March.
“Iloilo International Airport now serves 12 domestic and two international routes. By the end of this month, Thais can savor our batchoy and the world’s sweetest mangoes from Guimaras with Cebu Pacific’s newest addition, the Iloilo-Bangkok flight,” Rodriguez said during the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas forum on March 7.
She added that to address tourism sector challenges, DOT programs and projects will align with three key strategies: connectivity, convenience, and equality.
These efforts include expanding Tourism Road Infrastructure Projects and establishing Tourist Rest Areas in San Remigio, Antique; Tubungan, Iloilo; and Jordan, Guimaras.
Boracay Island Tourism
Rodriguez also reported a slight 2% decrease in Boracay Island’s tourism, with arrivals dropping to 2.077 million in 2024 from 2.12 million in 2023.
Despite the decline, she noted that arrivals remained 2.13% higher than the 2.034 million tourists recorded in 2019.
Boracay’s peak season for foreign arrivals typically coincides with the northern hemisphere’s winter (December to March), with February 2024 logging the highest number of international tourists at 59,755.
Meanwhile, domestic tourists visited the island most frequently in June, reaching 179,446 arrivals, aligning with school breaks.
