TORONTO — The Philippines won big at the 29th World Travel Awards, taking home three top awards of the night.
Taking place Sept. 7 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, WTA 2022 awarded The Philippines with the Leading Beach Destination in Asia award for the sixth time, beating out other popular destinations like India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. The Philippines also took home the title of Asia’s Leading Dive Destination for the fourth consecutive year, edging out Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.
“The Philippines is a beautiful country and you (WTA) having given these awards is such an affirmation to all of our tourism stakeholders and workers who have greatly sacrificed throughout the pandemic,” said Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco. “We look to the future with hope that through our combined efforts under the Marcos Administration that has identified tourism to become a major pillar for economic recovery, that not only will we survive the pandemic but we will thrive, we will endure and we will get back stronger than ever.”
Secretary Frasco also noted that the dive distinction only cements The Philippines’ reputation for being a global diving hub. In August, the country hosted the Philippine International Dive Expo (PHIDEX) 2022, plus the Phililppine Commission on Sports Scuba Diving (PCSSD), an attached agency of the DOT in charge of marine sports, recently appropriated a budget of Php9.53 million for the first time, by the national government, to enhance and further develop dive tourism.
WTA also awarded Intramuros Manila, an historic walled area within the capital city, with this year’s ‘Asia’s Leading Tourist Attraction’ award, beating out other world-class attractions like: Angkor Temples in Cambodia; Borobudur Temple Compounds in Indonesia; Ha Long Bay of Vietnam; Sengan-en and Shoko Shuseikan Museum of Kagoshima in Japan; Taj Mahal in India; teamLab SuperNature in Macao; The Great Wall, The Forbidden City and Terracotta Warriors in China; Tokyo Imperial Palace in Japan; and Victoria Peak in Hong Kong.
Secretary Frasco went on to emphasize the significance of such WTA accolades, saying: “May this recognition remind us that all of have a shared responsibility towards the success of the tourism industry, not only in our country but in Asia and the world. We remain committed to purveying the Filipino brand of hospitality and to heralding the Filipino brand to the world.”
Addressing travellers, she added: “We are ready to receive you in the Philippines. We look forward to your visit and I invite each and every one of you to visit our beaches, our dive sites and our tourist destinations.”
