Proposed Cruise Ship Sheltered Port Eyed

By Jun N. Aguirre

Aklan Governor Jose Enrique Miraflores announced that the province is constructing an ₱810-million cruise sheltered port in coordination with the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA). The facility is designed to boost tourism by luring cruise ship companies through seamless travel.

Currently, cruise ships must anchor several miles off the coast of Boracay, requiring tender boats to ferry passengers to and from the island. Of the total project budget, ₱300 million is funded by the PPA, with the remainder sourced from the provincial fund.

Niven Maquirang, Executive Assistant to the Provincial Governor and Officer-in-Charge of Cruise Ship Operations in Aklan, emphasized that the arrival of cruise ships benefits not only Boracay but also the broader Western Visayas region and nearby Romblon Island.

“Based on our monitoring, out of approximately 2,000 cruise ship passengers( many of whom are senior citizens) and staff, only about 300 avail of organized ‘Shorex’ (shore excursion) packages. The rest explore independently; some travel to Pandan, Antique for day tours, while others visit Romblon. This March, we have even seen cruise tourists expressing interest in visiting Iloilo,” Maquirang told Boracay Sun News.

Maquirang added that once the port is operational, the province plans to introduce a “Cruise and Fly” concept, allowing tourists to arrive in Boracay via cruise ship and fly back to their next destination. He also expressed hope that residents of Aklan would eventually be able to book cruise packages locally, rather than having to travel to Manila.

The province anticipates 14 cruise ship arrivals in 2026. Cruise tourism in Boracay originally began in 2012.

📸 Florencio "Joeben" Tumbocon Miraflores (Facebook)