Boracay

White Beach, Boracay
Boracay (Philippines)
Geography
Location	South East Asia
Coordinates	11°58′10″N 121°55′38″E / 11.96944°N 121.92722°E / 11.96944; 121.92722
Archipelago	Visayas
Area	10.32 km2 (3.985 sq mi)
Country
Philippines
Province	Aklan
Municipality	Malay
Demographics
Population	12,003[1] (as of 2000)
Density	1,163 /km2 (3,012 /sq mi)
Ethnic groups	Ati, and Aklanon

Boracay is a small island of the Philippines located approximately 315 km (196 mi) south of Manila and 2 km off the northwest tip of Panay Island in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. Boracay Island and its beaches have received awards for their world-class attractiveness to visitors.^{[Note 1]}

The island comprises the barangays of Manoc-Manoc, Balabag, and Yapak (3 of the 17 barangays which make up the municipality of Malay), and is under the administrative control of the Philippine Tourism Authority in coordination with the Provincial Government of Aklan.

History[link]

Boracay was originally home to the Ati tribe. Boracay is part of Aklan Province, which became an independent province on April 25, 1956.^{[8][not in citation given][9]}

Sofia Gonzales Tirol and her husband Lamberto Hontiveros Tirol, a town judge on nearby Panay island, took ownership of substantial properties on the island around 1900 and planted coconuts, fruit trees, and greenery on the island. Others followed the Tirols, and cultivation and development of the island gradually spread from this initial beginning.^[10]

Tourism came to the island beginning in about the 1970s.^[11][12] The movie Too Late the Hero was filmed in 1970 on locations in Boracay and Caticlan.^[13] In the 1980s, the island became popular as a budget destination for backpackers,^[8] By the 1990s, Boracay's beaches were being acclaimed as the best in the world.^[14] In 2012, the Philippine Department of Tourism reported that Boracay had been named the world's second best beach after Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos Islands.^[15]

The Origin[link]

The name Boracay is attributed to different origins. One story says that it is derived from the local word "borac" which means white cotton with characteristics close to the color and texture of Boracay's white sugary and powdery sand. Another credits the name to local words "bora," meaning bubbles, and "bocay," meaning white. Yet another version dating back to the Spanish era says the name is derived from "sagay," the word for shell, and "boray," the word for seed.^[16]

Geography[link]

Location of Boracay above Panay Island.

Boracay Island is located off the northwest corner of Panay Island, and belongs to the Western Visayas island-group, or Region VI, of the Philippines. The island is approximately seven kilometers long, dog-bone shaped with the narrowest spot being less than one kilometer wide, and has a total land area of 10.32 square kilometers.

South-facing Cagban Beach is located across a small strait from the jetty port at Caticlan on Panay island, and the Cagban jetty port serves as Boracay's main entry and exit point during most of the year. When wind and sea conditions dictate, east-facing Tambisaan Beach serves as an alternative entry and exit point.^{[citation needed]}

Boracay's two primary tourism beaches, White Beach and Bulabog Beach, are located on opposite sides of the island's narrow central area. White Beach faces westward and Bulabog Beach faces eastward. The island also has several other beaches.

White Beach, the main tourism beach, is about four kilometers long and is lined with resorts, hotels, lodging houses, restaurants, and other tourism-related businesses. In the central portion, for about two kilometers, there is a footpath known as the Beachfront Path separating the beach itself from the establishments located along it. North and south of the Beachfront Path, beachfront establishments do literally front along the beach itself. Several roads and paths connect the Beachfront Path with Boracay's Main Road, a vehicular road which runs the length of the island. At the extreme northern end of White Beach, a footpath runs around the headland there and connects White Beach with Diniwid Beach.

Bulabog Beach, across the island from White Beach, is the second most popular tourism beach on the island and Boracay's main windsurfing and kiteboarding area.

Boracay is divided for land use and conservation purposes into 400 hectares of preserved forestland and 628.96 hectares of agricultural land.^{[17][18][19][20][21]}

Climate[link]

Map of Boracay Island.

Weather in Boracay is generally divided into two seasonal weather patterns known locally as the Amihan and Habagat seasons. In the Visayan language, Amihan means a cool southeast wind, and Habagat means west or southwest wind; south-west monsoon.^[22] The Amihan season is characterized by moderate temperatures, little or no rainfall, and a prevailing wind from the NorthEast. The Habagat season is characterized by hot and humid weather, frequent heavy rainfall, and a prevailing wind from the west.^{[citation needed]}

On Boracay, the main indicator of the switch between the Amihan and Habagat seasonal patterns is the switch in wind direction. In most years this transition is abrupt and occurs overnight. In some years there is a period of perhaps a week or two where the wind will switch between Amihan and Habagat patterns several times before settling into the pattern for the new season. As a general rule of thumb, Boracay will be in the Amihan weather pattern from sometime in September or October to sometime in May or June and in the Habagat weather pattern for the remainder of the year. These dates can vary in individual years, though.^{[citation needed]}

Daytime temperatures on Boracay generally range from 77–90 °F (25–32 °C) from the beginning of the Amihan season into February or March, and increase to the 82–100 °F (28–38 °C) range with the onset of the Habagat season.^[23] During Tropical Storm periods, temperatures can fall below 68 °F (20 °C). Tropical Storms can impact Boracay at any time of year, but are most likely to be seen during the Habagat season.^[24]

Education[link]

Among schools on the island is the independent Boracay European International School that teaches from Nursery through to Grade 9 and prepares students for the International Baccalaureate.

Tourism[link]

Puka Beach, Boracay where the rare Puka shells are found.

Partly because of its wind and weather patterns, tourism in Boracay is at its peak during the Amihan season. During Amihan, the prevailing wind blows from the east. Boracay's main tourism area, White Beach, is on the western side of the island and is sheltered from the wind. During the Amihan season, the water off White Beach is often glassy-smooth. On the eastern side of the island, hills on the northern and southern ends of the island channel the Amihan season wind from the east onshore, onto Bulabog Beach in the central part of the island's eastern side. This makes the reef-protected waters off that beach ideal for windsurfing and kiteboarding / kitesurfing.

In June 2011, it was reported that a real estate development group led by Andrew Tan had earmarked P20 billion to develop tourism estates "featuring an integrated, master-planned layout and world-class resort offerings and amenities" in Boracay and Cavite. The planned Boracay project, Boracay Newcoast, involves four hotels with 1,500 rooms, a plaza and entertainment center.^[25]

Leisure activities[link]

Leisure activities available on or near Boracay include scuba diving, snorkeling, windsurfing, kiteboarding, cliff diving, and beach relaxation.

Boracay is the site of a 18-hole par 72 golf course designed by Graham Marsh.^[26] In addition, as of 2010^[update], Boracay has in excess of 350 beach resorts offering more than 2,000 rooms ranging in quality from five-star to budget accommodation.^{[citation needed]} In addition, Boracay offers a wide range of restaurants, bars, pubs, and nightclubs.

Events[link]

Boracay is one competitive venue for the Asian Windsurfing Tour,^[27] with the week-long Boracay International Funboard Cup competition usually held in January on Bulabog Beach. In 2010, the event dates are January 25 – 31^[update].^[28] CNNGo, a division of CNN focused on travel/lifestyle/entertainment, selected the Boracay International Funboard Competition on the weekend of January 22–24 as one of its 52 weekend recommendations for 2010.^[29]

The well-known Ati-Atihan Festival takes place each January in Kalibo on nearby Panay island. A much smaller Ati-Atihan festival is celebrated on Boracay, usually in the second or third week of January.^{[citation needed]}

Dragon boat races are held annually on Boracay under the auspices of the Philippine Dragon Boat Federation, with teams coming from around the Philippines and from other Asian nations to compete. The races usually take place sometime in April or May. The 2012 Boracay Edition of the PDBF International Club Crew Challenge to is scheduled for April 26–28, 2012.^[30]

The Boracay Open Asian Beach Ultimate Tournament, an ultimate frisbee event, has been held annually since 2003, usually during summer.^[31]

Languages[link]

The first settlers of Boracay, A Negrito people called Ati, spoke a Visayan language called Inati.^[32] Later settlers brought other languages to the island, including Aklanon (as Boracay is part of Aklan province) and other Visayan languages, Tagalog (and its variant, Filipino), and English.

Transportation[link]

Tricycles on Boracay Island's main road. Tricyles are the primary mode of transportation on the island.

Boracay island is separated from Panay island by a narrow strait. The island is located opposite the barangay of Caticlan in the municipality of Malay, Aklan. Transportation across the strait is provided by boats operating from the Caticlan jetty port.

By air[link]

Boracay is served by two airports in Aklan province: one in Kalibo and Godofredo P. Ramos Airport (commonly referred to as "Caticlan airport") in Malay.

By sea[link]

The western part of the Strong Republic Nautical Highway (SRNH) passes through Caticlan, with car ferries from Roxas, Oriental Mindoro docking at the Caticlan jetty port. Several bus companies operate provincial bus routes from Manila which pass through Caticlan via the SRNH.

On the island[link]

The two main modes of transport are via motor-tricycles along the main road or by walking along the beaches. Pedicabs are also available for transport along the Beachfront Path. Other means of transportation include mountain bikes, quadbikes and motorbikes, all of which can be rented.

Radio Stations[link]

• Yes FM 91.1 Boracay
• 97.1 FM Boracay
• 97.3 Dream FM Boracay
• 104.9 Star FM Boracay
• 106.1 Radio Boracay

Gallery[link]

• 

  Boracay's white beach

• 

  A view at dusk of Willy's Rock at Boracay Beach

• 

  Boracay's White Beach, at Boat Station 2

• 

  Another view of Willy's Rock

• 

  View taken from Mt. Luho, the highest point in Boracay Island.

• 

  Crystal Cove, one of the island-hopping destinations in Boracay.

• 

  Boracay in the old days: This shot was taken sometime in the middle of 1900s, the old Boracay.

• 

  Boracay in the old days: This was taken a long time ago. Was able to retrieve in 1996-2000, Boracay in the old days.

Notes[link]

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Chris Rowthorn; Greg Bloom (2006). "Boracay". Lonely Planet: Philippines (Ninth ed.). Lonely Planet. ISBN 978-1-74104-289-4. http://books.google.com/books?id=aaUR07G0yAcC&pg=PA325 
• Roselle Tenefrancia (2010). Boracay Island: A case for reversing urban overdevelopment. http://www.scribd.com/doc/40625278/Boracay-Island-White-Paper-R-Tenefrancia-July-2010 
• European Heritage Library, Sofia Lamberto (2008). The history and cultural exchange of the Spaniards in the Filipino island of Boracay. http://euroheritage.net/spanishphilippines.shtml 
• Boracay Sun (2010). Boracay Sun. http://www.sunboracay.com/ 
• Janess Ann J. Ellao and Michael Cruz (2012). Boracay Island from the eyes of an Ati. http://www.boracay.nfo.ph/boracay-island-from-the-eyes-of-an-ati/ 
• Newspheditor (2012). News Philippines: E-Trikes to ply Manila-Boracay-Palawan. http://newsph.org/2012/03/28/5000-e-trikes-to-ply-manila-boracay-palawan/ 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Boracay

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Boracay History

• Boracay: Recalling the past, Revealing the secret, Rewriting History
• Boracay: Education Education
• Department of Education Regional Office VI Western Visayas, Education in Boracay: List of Public Elementary Schools
• Department of Education Regional Office VI Western Visayas, Education in Boracay: List of Public Secondary Schools
• Boracay: List of Private Schools Division of Aklan, Education in Boracay: List of Private Schools Division of Aklan