Boracay No. 1 on online Asia’s best beaches list
Boracay:
TripAdvisor’s best beach in Asia in 2013. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
Summer has not officially arrived yet but
the Philippines, its white-sand beaches and hidden lagoons are already getting
much attention from international travel guides.
TripAdvisor, one of the world’s popular
online travel guides, placed the island of Boracay at No. 1 in its Travelers’
Choice-Best Beaches in Asia for this year.
In placing Boracay’s White Beach at the
top of the list, besting 24 other beaches in Asia, TripAdvisor described the
7-kilometer stretch as a “stunningly beautiful white powder sand beach [with]
crystal clear, warm water that you can laze on for days on end.”
Also making it to the list of great
beaches in Asia were El Nido, Palawan’s Secret Lagoon, which was placed at No. 9
and Boracay’s Yapak Beach, also known as Puka Shell Beach, at No. 10.
The scenic Secret Lagoon, located on a
small island and nestled among towering limestone formations, was cited for its
“wonderful view.”
Yapak Beach, a secluded area in the north
of Boracay Island, was noted for the myriad of puka shells on the shore “giving
one’s feet a rugged feel.”
On its website, TripAdvisor said the
Travelers’ Choice Beaches Awards were based on the quality and quantity of
traveler reviews and ratings for beaches it has gathered over a 12-month period
since the 2012 awards.
Value
for money
TripAdvisor is a popular travel website
that assists customers in collecting travel information, posting reviews of
their latest getaway and engaging in interactive travel forums.
The Philippines also made it to the Lonely
Planet Traveller’s Choice 2013, rating it as one of the top 10 popular
destinations in the categories of “meeting locals” and “value for money.”
Lonely Planet, considered the largest
travel-guide book publisher in the world, placed the Philippines, which is also
known for its hospitable and friendly people, at No. 6 in the top 10 popular
destinations to go to for meeting locals.
The country ranked eighth in the top 10
“value-for-money” destinations. “According to [Lonely Planet] travelers, Asia
provides the best value for money, with seven out of the top 10 budget favorites
coming from this continent alone,” Lonely Planet said on its website.
It also said the results were based on the
ratings provided by 3,000 respondents on the places they traveled to using 16
criteria, which included adventure, food, cultural sights, nature, travel
memories and safety.
“We asked our fans on Facebook, Twitter,
Google+ and Thorn Tree to tell us where they have traveled and then we asked
them to rate those destinations by 16 criteria (for example, which was the “best
‘value for money’ destination),” it said.
So
thrilled
In a statement Wednesday, Tourism
Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. said the recent distinctions were proof that the
country’s marketing efforts under the campaign “It’s More Fun in the
Philippines” were generating results.
“We are so thrilled that these accolades
keep coming, proof positive that our marketing efforts are paying off, and more
and more satisfied travelers are proudly spreading the word about their many fun
experiences in our beautiful country,” Jimenez said.
He encouraged Filipinos to take good care
of the country’s “jewels” to help boost tourism and enable the Philippines
attain an attractive international image.
“In order for us to continue reaping the
benefits of development and great publicity, we ought to seriously address the
environment challenges. We call on all stakeholders to come as one in preserving
our country’s jewels,” Jimenez said.
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