BORACAY: This island in province of Aklan will likely achieve its target of one million tourist arrivals this month, an offical said on Friday.

Aklan jetty port administrator Niven Maquirang said that as of Friday morning, tourist arrivals in Boracay Island have already exceeded 970,000.

Maquirang also said that on October 27, the island will welcome 2,500 Asian tourists on board the Caribbean Cruise Ship.

“But with or without the cruise ship arrival, we would still be hitting the one million target in October because of the anticipated semestral break and the holidays,” said Maquirang.

October 26, which falls on a Friday, has been declared a regular or non-working holiday in the Philippines in observance of the Muslims’ Feast of Sacrifice. This is expected to encourage more domestic travelers to go to the island.

Boracay Island is popular among local and foreign tourists due to its powdery white sand and unique beaches. It also attracts sports enthusiasts such as wind-surfers and kiteboarders.

In July, Boracay Island’s popularity was affirmed when it was named by an international travel magazine as the world’s top island destination, beating other top tourist spots such as Santorini in Greece and Bali in Indonesia.

Based on records from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, 629,750 passengers, both foreign and local, arrived at the Kalibo airport, which is adjacent to Boracay, in 2011.