In brief
Boracay recorded 2,155,217 visitors in 2025, and Palawan province recorded 2.13 million arrivals. Boracay is a single island reached by air to Caticlan or Kalibo and a short boat crossing; Palawan is a province with several airports, so its gateway depends on which town you mean.
- Boracay’s 2025 count was 2,155,217, of which 1,765,282 were domestic; the rest were foreign, which is 389,935 by subtraction. The figures come from the Malay Tourism Office1.
- Palawan’s 2025 arrivals were 2.13 million, of which 48 percent were foreign, and receipts were PHP 65.51 billion2.
- PAGASA’s 30-year rainfall normals put Coron at 14 to 38 mm a month from January to April and 447 to 480 mm a month from July to September3.
- Puerto Princesa runs from 24 to 54 mm in its driest months and 154 to 216 mm from June to November3.
- Roxas City, the nearest PAGASA station to Boracay, runs from 49 to 72 mm from January to April and 202 to 305 mm from June to October3.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which has more visitors, Boracay or Palawan?
Boracay recorded 2,155,217 visitors in 2025 and Palawan 2.13 million arrivals12. Palawan’s is a provincial figure covering several towns, so the two are not like-for-like.
Is Palawan or Boracay wetter?
On PAGASA’s normals, Coron has the most annual rainfall at 2,481.7 mm, then Roxas City, the proxy for Boracay, at 2,043.3 mm, then Puerto Princesa at 1,527.3 mm3. Boracay has no station of its own.
What are the driest months in Boracay and Palawan?
Roxas City is driest from January to April, at 49 to 72 mm a month3. Coron is driest in the same months, at 14 to 38 mm, and Puerto Princesa at 24 to 54 mm3.
Do Boracay and Palawan have the same wet season?
The records at Roxas City, Coron and Puerto Princesa all rise from May or June, but Coron’s July to September months are far wetter, at 447 to 480 mm3.
How do I get to Palawan from Cebu?
Cebu has direct flights to Puerto Princesa, El Nido and Busuanga, and the Puerto Princesa flight takes a little over an hour2.
How long is the transfer to Boracay after landing?
From Caticlan airport the seaport is 5 to 10 minutes away, from Kalibo airport 1 hour 20 to 1 hour 30 minutes, then 10 to 15 minutes by ferry4.
The detail
This page puts the sourced facts side by side: how you get to each, what the rain records show month by month, and how many people each destination reports. It does not say which is better. For Boracay’s own season in detail see When to Go to Boracay.
The short answer
| If you are… | Then… |
|---|---|
| Travelling from January to April | Both Boracay’s nearest station and the two Palawan stations are at their driest; Coron is lowest at 14 to 38 mm a month3. |
| Travelling from July to September | Coron’s normal is 447 to 480 mm a month, Roxas City’s is 202 to 253 mm and Puerto Princesa’s is 154 to 185 mm3. |
| Flying from Cebu | Cebu has direct flights to Puerto Princesa, El Nido and Busuanga, the gateway to Coron2. Boracay is reached through Caticlan or Kalibo airport4. |
| Short on transfer time | From Caticlan airport the seaport is 5 to 10 minutes away and the crossing is 10 to 15 minutes by ferry4. |
How you get there
Boracay. Visitors arrive at Caticlan or Kalibo airport and go on to the mainland seaport; the Boracay iPass site gives 5 to 10 minutes from Caticlan airport and 1 hour 20 to 1 hour 30 minutes from Kalibo4. The boat then crosses to Cagban seaport on the island, in 10 to 15 minutes by ferry or 3 to 5 minutes by speedboat4. The full sequence is in Getting to Boracay and the airport choice in Caticlan or Kalibo.
Palawan. Cebu has direct flights to Puerto Princesa, El Nido and Busuanga, the gateway to Coron, and the flight to Puerto Princesa takes a little over an hour2. The sources used here give no flight or ferry times from Manila or from abroad to either destination.
When it rains
PAGASA publishes monthly rainfall normals for stations, in millimetres, as 30-year averages. There is no station on Boracay. Roxas City in Capiz is the nearest listed on the page and is used here as a proxy, so its figures are not Boracay’s3. Coron stands for northern Palawan and Puerto Princesa for the centre; neither covers El Nido or the south3.
| Station | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roxas, Capiz (Boracay proxy) | 72.1 | 49.3 | 63.7 | 69.9 | 144.7 | 259.0 | 253.4 | 202.1 | 213.5 | 304.9 | 239.4 | 171.3 | 2,043.3 |
| Coron | 18.5 | 14.0 | 15.4 | 38.1 | 198.1 | 360.8 | 479.9 | 466.3 | 447.1 | 250.8 | 118.6 | 74.0 | 2,481.7 |
| Puerto Princesa | 36.4 | 23.7 | 37.3 | 54.2 | 118.4 | 171.1 | 153.5 | 185.4 | 170.1 | 216.1 | 211.0 | 150.1 | 1,527.3 |
Source for all rows:3.
The pattern is the same shape at all three stations, with a dry stretch from January to April and a wet one from June. PAGASA divides the national year into a dry season from December to May and a rainy season from June to November6. The difference is size: from July to September Coron’s figures are roughly twice Roxas City’s, and Puerto Princesa’s wet-month figures are lower than Roxas City’s3.
How many people go
| Figure | Period | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boracay | 2,155,217 visitors, 1,765,282 of them domestic (the remaining 389,935 are foreign, by subtraction) | 2025 | Malay Tourism Office, reported by Manila Standard on 5 January 20261 |
| Palawan (province, including El Nido, Coron and Puerto Princesa) | 2.13 million arrivals, 48% foreign, PHP 65.51 billion in receipts | 2025 | Provincial data reported by SunStar2 |
Good to know The two figures do not use the same definition. Boracay’s is an island count of domestic and foreign visitors; Palawan’s is a provincial total spread across several towns, and the sources do not say whether it counts overnight stays or arrivals at ports and airports. The figures show scale, not a league table.
What each is known for
Palawan’s governor said in 2026 that the province wants to broaden its market beyond its “established reputation for beaches and natural attractions” by highlighting people, history and cultural heritage2. A peer-reviewed study of Boracay describes it as a top tourist island known for its 4-km beach5.
Related Articles
Sources (6)
- Boracay tourist arrivals up slightly in 2025 despite setbacks — Manila Standard, Jun Aguirre, 5 January 2026, citing the Malay Tourism Office. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Palawan takes tourism push to Cebu — SunStar, 23 August 2026. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Climatological normals — PAGASA. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Boracay iPass — Provincial Government of Aklan. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Detection of Algal Bloom in the Coastal Waters of Boracay, Philippines Using NDVI and FAI — Visitacion et al., ISPRS Archives, 23 December 2019. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Climate of the Philippines — PAGASA. Accessed 2026-10-03.