THE Palace welcomed on Saturday another recognition for the country’s tourism sector, after it was named “a must-see destination in 2015” by travel-guide publisher Lonely Planet.
“Ikinagagalak natin ’yan sapagkat talaga namang ikinararangal ng ating bansa ang pagkakaroon ng pinakamagagandang isla at magagandang natural endowments, kaya naman dinarayo ito ng mga mamamayan mula sa iba’t-ibang panig ng mundo,” Communications Secretary Herminio B. Coloma Jr. said in a radio interview on Saturday.
“At bukod pa riyan, ang likas na pagiging mabait at pagiging hospitable ng ating mga kababayan, na kung saan ay talagang ipinararamdam sa mga bumibisita na parang hindi sila umalis sa kanilang tahanan o bayan. At bukod pa riyan, it’s really ‘more fun in the Philippines,’” he told dzRB Radyo ng Bayan.
Lonely Planet, the largest travel-book guide publisher, named the Philippines as one of the best countries to visit in 2015.
The travel-guide publisher ranked the Philippines eighth on its yearly “Best in Travel Countries” list, noting that the Philippines’ placement is long overdue.
Lonely Planet praised the country’s coral reefs, coastlines, and also noted the Philippines’ love of street parades, food festivals and live musical events, which gave the country a “cabaret atmosphere” almost every night.
Other countries on the Lonely Planet’s “Best in Travel” list include Singapore, Namibia, Lithuania, Nicaragua, Ireland, Republic of Congo, Serbia, Saint Lucia and Morocco.
Earlier this month the country marked yet another tourism achievement by bagging the “Destination of the Year” title at the 25th Annual TTG Travel Awards 2014 on October 3.
Lonely Planet wrote in an article published on Tuesday that “time is well overdue for the Philippines to be recognized as the next big travel destination in Southeast Asia.”
“With more than 7,100 islands [compare that to Thailand, with a paltry 1,430], the Philippines has one of the world’s most beautiful coastlines, fringed by dive-tastic coral reefs, sprinkled with sunbathe-ready white sand, backed by swaying palm trees and dotted with simple resorts of nipa-palm thatched huts, like Thailand used to be when the Beach Boys were still on top of the charts,” the article said.
According to the article, there were a lot of activities to do in the Philippines that were “life-changing.”
“Try clinging to the back of a jeepney speeding through the crowded streets of Metro Manila,” the article said.
“Boarding and disembarking from these supercharged vehicles is conducted at break-neck speed, then it’s back into the traffic, horn blaring, music blasting, and on to the next stop,” it further said.
The article also mentioned how one craze that “never goes out of fashion” in the Philippines is karaoke.
“Alone, or in company, Pinoys love to sing, and no social gathering or business meeting would be complete without a swift rendition of the latest hits on the karaoke machine,” the article said.
With only about two months left until Visit the Philippines Year (VPY) 2015 commences, the tourism department is currently pushing efforts to, in the words of Lonely Planet, “raise the profile of the archipelago.”
The department’s VPY2015 campaign is not only aimed at strengthening the country’s brand image but also aimed at helping the country meet its tourism goal of acquiring 10 million tourists by 2016.
Lonely Planet has been regarded as the world’s most successful travel publisher, printing over 120 million books in 11 different languages. It also produces a range of gift and reference titles, an award-winning web site and magazine, and a range of digital travel products and apps.
Currently, the travel-guide company has offices in Australia, the UK, the US, India and China, with over 400 employees and 200 authors.