MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines has been named as one of the "best countries to visit in 2015" by the Lonely Planet, the largest travel book guide publisher in the world.
The countries were chosen by the travel book guide’s staff, bloggers who have been to the Philippines and in-house travel experts. They judged the countries based on the fun and excitement that each can offer to its visitors. As per the ranking, the Philippines ranks 8th worldwide.
Lonely Planet describes the Philippines as a country with "one of the world’s most beautiful coastlines, fringed by dive-tastic coral reefs, sprinkled with sunbathe-ready white sand, backed by swaying palm trees and dotted with simple resorts of nipa-palm thatched huts, like Thailand used to be when the Beach Boys were still top of the charts."
A boat is underway at Bacuit Bay in Palawan. Francisco Daum/CC BY-NC
A formation along the shores of Palawan island province. John Griffiths/CC BY-NC-SA
The website also shared how the Philippines could give each traveler a wonderful experience through riding on a jeepney, watching street parades, participating in food festivals, partaking in sports tournaments and watching live music shows.
In addition to the recognition given by the Lonely Planet, international travel magazine Condé Nast Traveler also ranked Palawan as No. 1 and Boracay as No.12 among the Top 30 Islands in the World just this week.
Aside from the Philippines, Singapore, Namibia, Lithuania, Nicaragua, Ireland, Republic of Congo, Serbia, St. Lucia, and Morocco were included in the Lonely Planet’s list of best countries to visit in 2015.