The Philippines wins two World Travel Awards

The Philippines has been named the World’s Leading Dive Destination, while its historic district Intramuros picked up the award for World’s Leading Tourist Attraction.

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

“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.

This marks the second time the Philippines has been named World’s Leading Dive Destination at the awards but Intramuros is enjoying the World’s Leading Tourist Attraction title for the first time.

The destination surpassed famous dive sites such as Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and the Maldives to reach the top spot in the category and was praised for the high concentration of coral reef life in diving hotspots such as Tubbataha Reefs in Palawan, Apo Reef in Mindoro and Apo Island in Dumaguete.

Meanwhile, the walled district of Intramuros was commended for its extensive renovations and newly added attractions – all implemented with the aim of honouring the Philippines’ Hispanic history.