Travel magazine names Philippines 10th ‘friendliest country’

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines was recognized as among the 10 “friendliest countries in the world” by a travel magazine.

The country ranked 10th friendliest, according to the 2022 Readers’ Choice Awards by Conde Nast Traveller, which the magazine said was “proof that the famous Filipino hospitality is alive and kicking.”

“The country has often been praised for its seemingly effortless ability to lavish genuine hospitality on visitors, foreigners or expatriates,” it added in a post last Oct. 4.

It also praised the country for being “peppered with majestic mountainscapes, decorative churches and sprawling sandy beaches,” aside from having numerous “beauty spots” like Ifugao’s Banaue Rice Terraces that the magazine called the “Eighth Wonder of the World.”?

French Polynesia, a collection of over 100 islands in the Pacific, topped the list, followed by Colombia, New Zealand, Thailand, Costa Rica, Botswana, Peru, Belize and Sri Lanka.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) said the country secured a spot in the list because of “the Filipinos’ warmth and lavish genuine hospitable nature.”

The Philippines has been receiving accolades from Conde Nast Traveller, including the “best islands” recognition for Boracay and Palawan.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the country started welcoming foreign tourists again in February, and has recorded over 1.7 million visitors – the DOT’s yearend target for tourist arrivals – as of this month.

The government also lifted pandemic travel rules like mandatory testing and quarantine, but only for travelers who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.