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Ghio Ong - The Philippine Star
March 8, 2025 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — The white sand beaches in the popular island resort of Boracay were hailed by an international travel magazine as among the best of its kind in the world.
White Beach in Boracay ranked 13th in the list of “15 Best White-sand Beaches Around the World” by an article published on the website of Travel + Leisure magazine on Feb. 23.
“Located on the small island of Boracay in the Philippines, the aptly named White Beach is a picture-perfect oasis lined with palm trees, bars, hotels and more,” said the article.
It added, “Peak season runs from December to May, and the nightlife is hopping.”
Anse Source d’Argent, La Digue, Seychelles topped the list of the Travel + Leisure article’s “15 Best White-sand Beaches Around the World.”
It was followed by Boulders Beach, Simon’s Town, South Africa; Clearwater Beach, Florida; Hyams Beach, Shoalhaven, Australia; Matira Beach, Bora Bora, French Polynesia; Angaga Island, South Ari Atoll, Maldives; Luskentyre Beach, Harris, Scotland; Kauna’oa Bay, Kohala, Hawaii; Spiaggia dei Conigli (Rabbit Beach), Lampedusa, Italy; Radhanagar Beach, Swaraj Dweep, India; Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Islands, Australia; Grace Bay Beach, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos; White Beach, Boracay; Playa Norte, Isla Mujeres, Mexico and Shoal Bay Beach, Anguilla.
The municipal tourism office of Malay in Aklan province, which hosts Boracay, said it “celebrate(d) its milestone and (would) remain dedicated to preserving Boracay’s charm for future generations.”
It recorded 199,992 visitors in January composed of 104,993 locals, 4,436 overseas Filipinos and 54,536 foreigners.
In February 2025, a total of 174,966 travelers – 125,554 domestic, 3,406 overseas Filipinos and 46,006 foreigners – set foot on the island’s white beaches.
Among Boracay’s guests were passengers onboard cruise ships that included Boracay in their itineraries as well as South Korean actor and singer Seo In-guk, who was recently appointed by the Department of Tourism (DOT) as the Philippines’ “celebrity tourism ambassador.”
In mid-February, the DOT tackled with the local officials of Aklan, tourism executives and leaders in Boracay and the Department of the Interior and Local Government measures on “environmental protection, infrastructure development, tourism management and regulatory measures aimed at enhancing overall visitor experience.”
This was after Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco revealed some tourism businesses in the famous island complained about “excessive fees as far as tourist activities are concerned,” as well as delays in getting to the island.
At present, one can visit Boracay by boarding flights either to Kalibo or to Caticlan from Manila, land travel from Kalibo then a ferry boat ride from Caticlan to the island.
Last year, Boracay was recognized for the first time as the “World’s Leading Luxury Island Destination” at the World Travel Awards held in Portugal.
