The six-month closure of the world-famous Boracay Island is good news for this capital city, according to City Tourism Officer Ma. Elma Gerasmo. Gerasmo noted that last year, Bacolod came in second with the most number of foreign tourist arrivals in Western Visayas. Boracay got the top spot with 898,914 foreign arrivals while Bacolod, 69,337, Gersamo said, citing records from the Department of Tourism Region 6. Bacolod is the entry point of different attractions in Negros Occidental, which explains the influx of tourists, she stressed.

Singuay, M. (2018, April 16, 2018). Boracay Island’s closure ‘good news’ for Bacolod. Panay News, pp. 2, 18.