Everyone seems to be on the lookout for the next big thing. In th exciting world of travel and tourism, countries in the Asia Pacific region have emerged as favored destinations for today’s seasoned vacationers. In Philippine Tourism, the target of three million tourist arrivals is now within reach. Among the premier tourist destinations in Paradise Philippines, Boracay remains the top favorite.

More than half a million tourist visited Boracay in 2006 and another 10-percent increase in tourist arrivals is expected by the end of 2007. Foreign tourists represents about the third of the total, while local tourists account for the rest. Not bad for what used to be a sleepy fishing village on a tropical island just two kilometers off the northwestern Visayas region. With a total land area of 10.32 square kilometers, the dog-bone shaped paradise philippines island is seven kilometers long and less than one kilometer wide at its narrowest point.

Stretching on almost the entire western side of the island is four kilometers of powedery white sand, which has attracted fame and fortune to its shores ever since a German traveler wrote glowing review of his rare find over a generation ago. Today, no longer a sleepy village, Boracay is touted as a party destination that never sleeps. But hte laid-back villagers are still there, those whose ancestors calledthis idyllic place their homm as well as those who came from distant shores, fell in love, ans settled in this tropical paradise.

The thing to do is to rise with the sun and walk barefoot on the beach. Expect to meet early-morning joggers or find families already frolicking in the crystalline waters. Watch native sculptors build giant sand castles or haggle with itinerant vendors offering strands of south sea pearls or religious images carved on driftwood. The vendors of boracay are accredited, with ID numbers on their shirts. You can have a surf side massage right on the loungingcots, under the shade of a tall palm tree or wide beach umbrella.

Or hire a boat and go island-hopping of island. Drop anchor at Crocodile Island and go snorkeling. Explore Crystal cove and its caves, including the Bat Cave. Try parasailing, wind surfing or kite boarding at Bulabog Beach on the eastern side of the paradise philippines island. There’s the more secluded Puka Beach on the north coast, which gets its name from the puka shells that abound there. Ride a banana boat, or a paraw, the unique native sailboat, and watch the spectacular sunset from the White Beach Side of the paradise philippines Island.