MANILA, Philippines — The country’s surfing haven Siargao was once again recognized as this year’s top tourist destination in Asia at the 2021 Readers' Choice Awards of the prestigious Condé Nast Traveler magazine.
The world-famous Palawan and Boracay Island earned the third and eighth spots, respectively. They beat other world favorites in Asia like Indonesia's Raja Ampat Islands (second), Thailand's Phi Phi Islands (ninth), and Phuket (10th).
In a statement sent to Philstar.com, Department of Tourism (DOT) said that the recognition is a testament to the hard work of the tourism industry "to strengthen our position as a top-of-mind destination" for international travelers.
"At a time when we are exhausting all means to revive tourism in the country, we are grateful for this new recognition from Condé Nast Traveler. We have worked to strengthen our position as a top-of-mind destination around the globe while ensuring that health and safety protocols across our destinations are implemented and observed," Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat said.
“This recognition bodes well for the recovery of the country's tourism industry and our latest global campaign 'More Fun Awaits,' which showcases the DOT’s preparations for international leisure travel once the restrictions are lifted,” she added.
Meanwhile, the country ranked 20th in CNT’s list of Best Countries in the world with a score of 91.63.
The annual Condé Nast Readers' Choice Awards gathers feedback from over 800,000 readers across the globe based on their recent travel experiences in the world's top hotels, resorts, cities, countries, islands, spas, trains, car rentals, luggage, airlines, airports and cruises.
The results of the 2021 Readers' Choice Awards demonstrate the recent travel experiences of the readers and-- given the travel restrictions forced by the pandemic -- provide an idea of where travelers are "dreaming of going next" when the world reopens for international travel.
Siargao had also been chosen by TIME as among the World's 100 Greatest Places 2021. Palawan ranked 19th on Travel + Leisure magazine's Top 25 Islands in the World and fifth in the Asian category this year. Palawan was also included in CNT's list of The 30 Best Beaches in the World in 2020.