Boracay History | Hotel Golden Phoenix - Boracay

Boracay History | Hotel Golden Phoenix - Boracay


Boracay was then called “Land of the Atis” because the first settlers of the island are the Negritos or Atis. The Negritos farmed and fished in Boracay for centuries. During the 1940′s and 1950′s, the Boracaynons or the people of Boracay, depended largely on fishing and coconut plantation. Copra, the dried meat of coconut, was traded to businessmen from Aklan in exchange for rice and other goods and commodities.

In the late 1800′s the island was “discovered” by Sofia Gonzales Tirol. She and her husband Lamberto Hontiveros Tirol, a town judge on nearby Panay island, took ownership of substantial properties and began to clear and develop the island.

Decades ago, Boracay Island was an almost possessively guarded secret so that only a few knew of its existence, but in the.

At the begining of 1970, the movie Too Late for Hero (imd.comb link) was shot on Boracay and Caticlan locations.
Old picture from Boracay

Old picture from Boracay made in 1950

After a few years a German writer published a book about the Philippines, describing Boracay history and the beautiful island in details, the island was introduced to the world. These are the main moments that started the beginning of tourist “boom” on Boracay.

In the 1980′s, the island became popular with backpackers. Since then, Boracay has gradually become a cosmopolitan tourism.

Since then, the onset of tourism changed Boracay completely. As word of its exceptional beauty – specifically the immaculate white sands of White Beach spread, tourists began arriving more and more. Suddenly, from a sleepy, sparsely populated island, Boracay was transformed into a major destination on the international travel circuit.