Tourism Minister Cristina García Frasco / Department of Tourism.
Global recognition of the Philippines as a preferred tourist destination continues to emerge.
Tourism Secretary Cristina García-Frasco announced on Thursday, December 1, 2022, that the Philippines has been named the World’s Leading Tourism Destination at the 2022 Uzakrota World Travel Awards by Turkish travel organization Uzakrota.
The Philippines received 721 votes, winning by a large margin over the other candidate countries.
Malaysia came in second place with 523 votes, while the Dominican Republic came in third place with 459 votes.
Frasco said this is the Philippines’ second win at the Ozacrota World Travel Awards, after it won the same honor for the first time in 2020.
The latest achievement comes after the country also received citations for its tourism destinations from various travel organizations and online travel guides in the United States.
“As international awards for the Philippines continue to grow, so too does the role of tourism as an engine of economic growth for the Philippines under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., whose priorities for tourism have brought much optimism and hope to the industry. These awards reflect the global travel public’s vote of confidence and enthusiasm for our country, and they translate into more tourists. who visit our shores as evidenced by the arrival of more than two million visitors to date,” Minister Frasco said in a statement.
After a two-year hiatus due to the coronavirus disease pandemic, the Philippines reopened to foreign tourists on February 10, 2022.
According to DOT, the Philippines also received 13 accolades in all available categories in Scuba Diving’s 2023 Readers’ Choice Awards by US-based Scuba Diving Magazine, including top honors in Shore Diving.
The country ranked second in the entry-level Macro Life, Cavern/Cave and Grotto, photography, and best value categories; Third place in scuba diving, snorkeling and health of the marine environment. Fourth place in wall diving and advanced. fifth in best overall; and ninth in the large animal assemblage of the Pacific and Indian oceans.
The Philippines was also recently named the world’s leading diving destination for 2022 by the World Travel Awards.
Frasco’s hometown, Cebu, was also ranked 19th in the 50 best places to travel in 2023 by the US-based online travel guide Travel Lemming. Travel Lemming described Cebu as “ideal for all types of tourists” and “allowing you to indulge in both exciting experiences and waterfront relaxation”.
Another major tourist destination in the Philippines, Palawan, was cited by another US-based travel guide, Fodor’s as one of the 40 destinations on its 2023 go-to list. Fodor’s described Palawan as “the definition of eco-luxury” and “one of the Philippines’ most enchanting islands where Underwater worlds with lush forests.”
For the Ozakrota Travel Awards 2022, billed as a global initiative to honor and reward excellence in travel and tourism, voting took place from October 3-28, with awards presented on November 29.
A total of 201,967 global votes were registered and awards were distributed across 45 categories, including the World’s Leading Travel App (GetTransfer.com with 950 votes), the World’s Leading Travel Brand (Emirates Airlines with 886 votes) and Airline The world’s leading digital airline (Qatar Airways) with 884 votes).
The leading tourist destination in the world was Istanbul, Turkey (853 votes), followed by Dubai, United Arab Emirates (682) and London, United Kingdom (515).
The leading meeting and conference destination in the world was Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (803 votes), followed by Istanbul, Turkey (753), and London, UK (507). (with PR)