Siargao, Palawan, Boracay win spot in Condé Nast awards

MANILA – Three Philippine islands have landed a spot in the annual Condé Nast Traveler (CNT) readers’ choice awards for top islands to visit this 2021.

Out of the 85 destinations listed, the surfing haven Siargao Island was recognized as this year’s top favorite in Asia, while the world-famous Palawan and Boracay Island earned the third and eighth spots, respectively.

The three bested other world favorites in Asia like Indonesia’s Raja Ampat Islands (second), Thailand’s Phi Phi Islands (ninth), and Phuket (10th).

“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 Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said.

READ: Top Islands: Readers’ Choice Awards 2021

She said the recognition bodes well for the recovery of the country’s tourism industry and DOT’s latest global campaign “More Fun Awaits”, which showcases the Philippines’ preparations for international leisure travel once pandemic restrictions are lifted.

Meanwhile, the Philippines ranked 20th in the CNT’s list of Top Countries in the World with a score of 91.63.

The annual CNT 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 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 has 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. It was also included in CNT’s list of The 30 Best Beaches in the World in 2020.