Halloween crowds pack Boracay, too

ILOILO CITY—Crowd watching was more fun on Nov. 1 not only in cemeteries but also in Boracay where thousands of people are now spending a four-day holiday.

PO1 Juno Gregorio, desk officer of the Boracay Tourist Assistance Center (BTAC), said police expected the number of tourists in Boracay to double during the holiday break.

Dindo Miguel Salazar, manager of the Boracay Regency hotels, said the firm’s three hotels with 606 rooms were fully booked.

The Halloween spirit, however, is as much a part of celebrations in Boracay as are the world renowned island’s white sand beaches during the four no-work days.

Hotels organized Halloween parties and hotel workers dressed up in Halloween costumes.

Chief Supt. Agrimero Cruz, Western Visayas police director, said the regional police sent 50 more policemen to Boracay to reinforce its 120-man police force.

The BTAC, the island’s police office, has sent policemen on patrol in key areas in Boracay.

Annual tourist arrivals on the island breached the million mark for the first time on Oct. 26, ahead of the government’s year-end target.

Annual tourist arrivals in Boracay have grown consistently for the past several years from 649,559 in 2009, 779,666 in 2010 to 908,875 last year. Tourism revenue also increased from P11.9 billion in 2009, P14.3 billion in 2010 to P16.7 billion last year.

Boracay is world famous for its white sand beaches but development on the island has gone berserk, leading to many establishments being built atop no-build zones.