Boracay Island poised as premier cruise ship destination

Aside from its white sand beaches and crystal clear waters, Boracay Island is now also becoming known as a premier cruise ship destination.

According to the data of the Department of Tourism (DOT) Region VI, in this year alone, there are already 13 cruise ship arrivals in Boracay as of December 5, 2017. These cruise ship arrivals brought over 17,000 tourists to Boracay and more than 11,000 crew members.

This December, three more cruise ships are expected to drop anchor in Boracay. These include MS World Dream of Dream Cruises on December 13 and December 20 with 4,000 passengers and 2,000 crew members each and the MSC Lirica of MSC Cruises on December 25 with 2,069 passengers and 721 crew members. The latter will be on its maiden call.

DOT-VI data also revealed that there are already 18 cruise ships with more than 50,000 and over 25,000 crew members scheduled to visit Boracay in 2018. Meanwhile, in 2019, a total of 9 cruise ships are already scheduled to dock in Boracay that will bring about 9,000 passengers and 5,000 crew members. More port calls are expected in Boracay Island in 2018 and 2019 as some cruise arrivals are announced only within 2-3 weeks lead time.

“The increasing number of cruise ship arrivals in Boracay means that it is now being recognized as a prime international cruise destination,’ said DOT-VI regional director Atty. Helen Catalbas.

Moreover, she hopes that with these scheduled cruise ship visits, Boracay Island and the whole Western Visayas will continue to attract international tourists.