BORACAY — Aklan province said it hopes to start construction of a cruise ship terminal this year to address growing demand from cruise lines seeking to stop at Boracay.

“The most important thing for us right now is to provide facilities for cruise ships,” Aklan Governor Jose Enrique M. Miraflores told reporters on the sidelines of the inauguration on Tuesday of the LezzGo Boracay integrated ferry ticketing system for visitors to the resort island.

“Cruise ship tourism is one of the up-and-coming activities here. Last year, we received 19 cruise ships, but our problem here is that there is no port,” he added.

He said some cruise passengers were deterred from visiting Boracay because of the absence of docking facilities. Those who wished to explore the island had to be ferried to shore by tender.

“Many of them are seniors and persons with disabilities. They find it a hassle because they have to be transferred by boat,” he said.

“Our dream is to have a port here where the ships can dock and the tourists can safely go to Boracay,” he added.

He said the province has received P800 million in funding from the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) this year for the cruise terminal.

“That funding is not enough, so we are also securing more funding that will allow us to complete it,” he said.

“I think more or less we will need P2 billion. We need it to at least have a depth of 12 meters and a 300-meter berth so the cruise ships can,” he added, noting that the province has also sent a letter to the National Government for additional funding.

He said that the project is set to begin construction in the fourth quarter, overseen by the PPA.

“This is supported by the Department of Tourism and other national agencies because they can see the need for a cruise ship facility,” he added.

Once built, he said the port will have the capacity to service two cruise ships at a time.

He said the cruise terminal will allow Boracay to accommodate more port calls by cruise lines.

“I think there were three cruise ships last year that did not go through, so it is such a waste,” he said.

“Next year, we are going to have a lot of cruise ships coming here. There’s going to be a Japanese liner that is going to make a call here,” he added.

Last year, he said the majority of the cruise ships that visited Boracay departed from Hong Kong. — Justine Irish D. Tabile