By Azer N. Parrocha
MANILA, March 30 (PNA) — The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) said on Monday it is expecting more tourists to flock to Boracay in Aklan this summer following the opening of the Kalibo International Airport’s (KIA) new wing.
DOTC announced the opening of the airport’s arrival area’s new wing last March 26 as part of the agency’s continuing push to modernize the country’s transportation systems.
The airport’s departure area will begin operating on Tuesday (March 31) with 10 new check-in counters added to the section.
According to the department, the nearly 4,000-square meter expansion comes at a price tag of PhP44.3-million. It will enable the airport to accommodate an additional 800 passengers at any given time.
All domestic flights will be transferred to the new wing of the terminal, while international flights will remain in the original portion.
“We’re happy to open Kalibo International Airport’s (KIA) new wing right as we enter the summer season,” DOTC Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said in a statement.
“As always, we expect a high volume of visitors to Boracay in the next couple of months, so the new section will help meet this peak period demand,” he added.
Boracay Island was recently cited by US travel website Conde Nast Traveler as among the 10 best island beaches for partying in 2015.
It was also recently named as the best beach in Asia by the world’s largest travel website, TripAdvisor in its 2015 Traveler’s Choice Awards.
The Department of Tourism (DOT), meanwhile, welcomed the island’s latest achievements. (PNA)