Boracay the word for seed. Boracay was originally home to the Ati people. Boracay Island was already an inhabited place before the Spaniards came to the Philippines. It was known to the Iberian conquerors as "Buracay". At the time of contact with the Europeans, "Buracay" had a population of one hundred people, who cultivated rice on the island and augmented their income by raising goats. Boracay is part of Aklan, which became an independent province on April 25, 1956. Boracay was largely an agricultural community like other parts of the country. Around 1900 A.D., Sofía Gonzáles Tirol and her husband Lamberto
Christmas Island Resort formally opened as the Christmas Island Casino and Resort on 18 December 1993. As envisaged, the casino catered mainly to a wealthy Asian clientele, with most of its patrons flying in from Jakarta, often by private jet. Business was facilitated by the Australian government, which issued special short-term visas for Christmas Island. Initially the resort ran at a profit, with most revenue coming from the casino. However, after 1994, CIR made losses. The resort was badly affected by the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997-98, and it suspended operations on 23 April 1998. On 28 July 1998 the Australian Minister for