Philippine top destinations met with glowing reviews
Top Philippine beach destinations White Beach, Boracay and El Nido, Palawan placed second and ninth respectively in the Condé Nast Traveler's 25 Best Island Beaches in the World: 2020 Readers' Choice Awards list. Both have already been featured in the prestigious travel publication in previous years.
This is the Award’s 33rd year, yet the first time that voters made their picks amid strict travel restrictions. The editors described the names included in this year’s entries as “enduring gems that can withstand the test of time and the vicissitudes of circumstances.” Many readers have responded that once the pandemic is over, they are most likely to return to favorite places or to those that have brought joy to others.
The Department of Tourism (DOT) celebrates the inclusion of two of the country’s best beaches in the esteemed list as a recognition of their “unparalleled beauty and uniquely diverse resources”.
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Conde Nast’s Caitlin Morton described Boracay as “a screensaver brought to life, with dazzling white sand, so-clear-you-can-see-your-toes water, and a lush jungle backdrop, available to anyone willing to make the journey. The island used to fly under the radar with one of the most beautiful beaches in the world – but the secret's out. Now the three-mile White Beach, with its grottos and beachside dining (and nightlife), is its busiest swath of sand.”
On El Nido, Morton raved, “Shockingly, Palawan remains steadily under the radar, even though it continues to rank highly in our Readers' Choice Awards. El Nido alone is home to around 50 white sand beaches – it’s impossible to choose just one – all of which are set around dramatic limestone formations and have the finest and whitest sand you’ll ever see. The water is so blindingly blue it makes the Caribbean Sea look murky in comparison. And the sunsets? Well, they’ll ruin you for life. Consider yourself warned.”
In a statement, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Puyat-Romulo assured travelers that as Philippine tourism gradually reopens, stringent health and safety measures are in place as well as sustained conservation efforts.
Boracay and El Nido, which has some of the best beaches in the Philippines, are already open to domestic tourists coming from general community quarantine (GCQ) and modified GCQ areas. For travel requirements and guidelines, visit http://aklan.gov.ph/guide-for-tourists/ and https://air-swift.com/news/travel-requirements/ for Boracay and Palawan travel, respectively.
In 2020, the Philippine’s international visitor arrivals dropped 83.97 percent to 1.3 million from 8.2 million arrivals in 2019. At present, international tourists are still not allowed to visit the country due to COVID-19 related travel restrictions.
In a bid to make domestic travel more appealing, the DOT, through the Tourism Promotions Board, encourages domestic tourists to avail of the 50-percent subsidized reverse transcription - polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests.
The program, in collaboration with the University of the Philippines - Philippines General Hospital and the Philippine Children's Medical Center, reduces the test cost to PHP900 and PHP750, respectively. To apply, visit https://www.tpb.gov.ph/rtpcrphtravel/.
