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Boracay is situated on the south of Manila at a distance of 315 km from the capital; and is 2 km apart from the Panay Island’s northwestern tip. This tiny island of Philippines was voted as one of the best beaches in the world in 1990 by BMW Tropical Beach Handbook, and the world's number one tropical beach by TV Quick, a British publication in 1996.
The Philippine Tourism Authority controls the administration of Boracay in coordination with the Provincial Government of Aklan. Boracay that is a part of Aklan Province was initially home to the Ati tribe. Tagalog/Filipino is the language spoken in Boracay, along with other local dialects and Aklanon, which is the primary language of Aklan Province (Panay’s island). Travellers do not face much language problems as English is also spoken in the island.
This tiny island was earlier known only by a few people and its existence was possessively guarded. It is said that after the accidental discovery of the island by a foreign crew in the 1970s, tourism began on this island. In the 21st century, Boracay Island became a popular hangout for travellers and a cosmopolitan tourism destination in the Philippines.
White Beach and Bulabog Beach are the main tourism beaches of Boracay. These are located on the opposite sides in the island, with Bulabog Beach in the east and White Beach facing the west. These beaches are lined with various hotels (budget to high-end), restaurants, pubs and lodging houses. Apart from these beaches, there are many other beaches like Diniwid Beach, Balinghai Beach, Puka Shell Beach and Manoc-Manoc Beach to name a few.
Apart from these, there are various sightseeing locations like Bat Cave, Mount Luho, Butterfly Garden, Ariel's Point and Dead Forest among others that attract tourists. Besides sightseeing and shopping, travellers can engage themselves in adventure sports like parasailing, scuba diving, horseback riding, kiteboarding, snorkelling and wind surfing among others.
The primary season for tourism on this island is January to May. One may visit the place during June to October as well, though it experiences low tourist influx. Due to Philippine school holidays, the island gets crowded and noisy during the months of April and May. There are no direct flights from India to this island due to the absence of an International airport. One needs to fly to Manila and then reach this island by bus, ferry or plane.
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