PH Intramuros, dive spots net WTA awards

MANILA – The Philippines’ dive spots and Intramuros were again recognized as top travel sites after bagging this year’s World’s Leading Dive Destination and World’s Leading Tourist Attraction award from the 2020 World Travel Awards (WTA).

This is the Philippines’ second time to win the world title, besting eight different popular dive hubs, such as the Azores Islands, Bora Bora, French Polynesia, Cayman Islands, Fiji, Galapagos Islands, Great Barrier Reef, Australia, Maldives, and Mexico.

Meanwhile, it is Intramuros’s first time to win the World’s Leading Tourist Attraction, beating 15 different attractions, such as the Acropolis of Greece, Burj Khalifa of Dubai, the Grand Canyon National Park of the US, Mount Kilimanjaro of Tanzania, and Taj Mahal of India.

The Philippines’ dive spots and Intramuros were again recognized as top travel sites after bagging this year’s World’s Leading Dive Destination and World’s Leading Tourist Attraction award from the 2020 World Travel Awards.

This is the Philippines’ second time to win the world title, besting eight different popular dive hubs such as Azores Islands, Bora Bora, French Polynesia, Cayman Islands, Fiji, Galapagos Islands, Great Barrier Reef, Australia, Maldives, and Mexico.

Meanwhile, it is Intramuros’s first time to win World’s Leading Tourist Attraction, beating 15 different attractions such as Acropolis of Greece, Burj Khalifa of Dubai, the Grand Canyon National Park of USA, Mount Kilimanjaro of Tanzania, and Taj Mahal of India, among others.

“We are incredibly grateful for the recognition given to the Philippines’ magnificent dive sites and the beautifully-restored heritage site of Intramuros at the 27th World Travel Awards,” Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said.

“We will continue to promote sustainable, inclusive, and world-class tourism, especially now as we slowly reopen our attractions to more domestic tourists.

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The Philippines is home to the highest concentration of coral reef life and a variety of marine species in its world-renowned dive sites, such as the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park in Palawan, Apo Reef Natural Park in Mindoro, and Apo Island in Dumaguete.

Batangas recently reopened its dive site establishments in Anilao for Recreational Diving, subject to a negative coronavirus test result before travel and other minimum health and safety standards.

“We are incredibly grateful for the recognition given to the Philippines’ magnificent dive sites and the beautifully-restored heritage site of Intramuros at the 27th World Travel Awards,” said Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat.

“We will continue to promote sustainable, inclusive, and world-class tourism, especially now as we slowly reopen our attractions to more domestic tourists,” she added.

The Philippines is home to the highest concentration of coral reef life and a variety of marine species in its world-renowned dive sites such as the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park in Palawan, Apo Reef Natural Park in Mindoro, and Apo Island in Dumaguete, among others.

Batangas recently reopened its dive site establishments in Anilao for Recreational Diving, subject to a negative COVID test result before travel and other minimum health and safety standards.

In Manila, the Intramuros Administration has restored the walled city, installing bright capiz lamps in monuments and trees, colorful murals, and new sites.

Through its programs, the administration ensures Intramuros remains an iconic tourism site that honors the Philippines’ glorious past.

Founded in 1993, the World Travel Awards has been recognizing brands and organizations worldwide from the travel, tourism, and hospitality industries through its annual Grand Tour, a series of six regional gala ceremonies held in each continent.