DESPITE 'RISKY' TAG, MANILA WINS WORLD'S LEADING CITY DESTINATION AWARD

The capital city of the Philippines was named World’s Leading City Destination at the 2024 World Travel Awards (WTA). Manila was honored despite also being named one of the world’s riskiest cities for travelers by Forbes earlier this year.

Still, Manila bested many other cities for the award, including Acapulco, Bogota, Cancun, Cape Town, Doha, Dubai, Hanoi, Hong Kong, Las Vegas, Lisbon, London, Lyon, Marrakech, Mazatlan, Melbourne, Miami Beach, Nairobi, New York, Porto, Queenstown, Quito, Santiago, and Sydney.

The awards are voted on by members of the global travel trade industry and among consumers, just by creating a profile and log-in credentials. 

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It was the second time Manila received the award, which was handed out during a ceremony in Madeira, Portugal. The Philippines was represented by Tourism Attaché for the United Kingdom Gerard O. Panga, who expressed optimism for the direction of the country’s tourism sector next year.

"We’re looking forward to a greater year in 2025," he said. "It’s all about loving the Philippines, exciting experiences, authentic experiences, and most especially, responsible tourism." 

Panga also expressed appreciation for the "hundreds of thousands, who voted for the Philippines, who continue to believe in the value of our products and services."

Meanwhile, Boracay was also named the World’s Leading Luxury Destination, winning over Jersey in the United Kingdom, Mustique, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and The Bahamas. It was the first time for Boracay to land the award at the WTA, despite the island luring fewer tourists over the last year. Data from the Malay Tourism Office showed there were 1.8 million tourists in Boracay from January to November 15 this year. Of this number, 356,250 were foreign visitors; 1.42 million were domestic travelers; while 19,836 were overseas Filipinos. Prior to the pandemic, foreign tourists on the island reached one million. 

The WTA also handed out awards to private institutions in the travel and hospitality industry. City of Dreams Manila was named World’s Leading Casino Resort, its sixth straight win in the category. Last year, it also won as the World’s Leading Fully Integrated Casino Resort. City of Dreams bested Okada Manila this year, aside from 20 other popular casino resorts all over the world including the Bellagio, Caesar’s Palace, and Wynn in Las Vegas; Resorts World Genting in Malaysia and Singapore; Marina Bay Sands in Singapore; Sun City in South Africa; and The Venetian in Macau.

Amanpulo in Palawan was recognized the World’s Leading Dive Resort this year, an award it has been receiving since 2019. Also nominated in the category were Atmosphere Resort & Spa in Negros Oriental, the Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort Fiji, Palau Pacific Resort, three resorts in the Maldives, and others in Sanya in China, Belize, Cayman Islands, and Egypt.

The Department of Tourism also took home the award for World’s Leading Tourist Board for the first time. According to the WTA, the award reflects the DOT’s "successful initiatives in promoting the Philippines as a premier destination." The Philippines’ DOT bested other nominees in the category, including the tourism boards of Belize, Costa Rica, Hong Kong, India, Jamaica, Madeira, Maldives, Mauritius, Mexico, Columbia, Peru, Santa Monica, South Africa, Tanzania, as well as the Greek Ministry of Tourism, and Türkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

"These awards are a testament to the powerful synergy between the public and private sectors, driven by the aspirations set forth by our President for the country’s tourism industry, as well as the unwavering support of Filipinos across the globe," said Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco. "We share this remarkable achievement with our dedicated stakeholders and every Filipino who continues to champion our country as a premier global destination," she added.

2024-12-05T10:09:37Z