2014 seen as banner year for Boracay

The year 2014 is expected to be a banner year for Boracay tourism.

In an interview Monday, Aklan Gov. Florencio Miraflores said this is the gist of his State of the Province Address (SOPA) comes February 5 at the Aklan Provincial Capitol.

"The Aklan provincial government is robust to the tourism industry of Boracay," Miraflores said.

Among the considerations of 2014 as Aklan's banner year for tourism is that there are at least 10 international cruise ships expected to arrive in this resort island this year. The cruise ships arrivals are the highest number so far for Boracay.

Each cruise ship will bring thousands of foreign and local tourists to the island. Also, airline companies from Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and others have expressed interest in holding direct chartered flights to Boracay via the Kalibo International Airport.

The Department of Tourism also reported that 2014 is a year of preparation for the hosting of 2015 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation.