Phl dive sites recognized at world travel awards
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A diving spot in Amanpulo, Palawan (aman.com)
The Philippines was recently recognized the world’s premier diving destinations while two Palawan destinations also bagged accolades at the World Travel Awards (WTA) Grand Final Gala Ceremony held at the Royal Opera House Muscat in Oman.
The Philippines bested eight other global destinations in winning the WTA World’s Leading Dive Destination for the first time—Azores Islands in Portugal, Bora Bora in the French Polynesia, British Territory Cayman Islands, Fiji, Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean, Great Barrier Reef in Australia, Maldives and Mexico.
“Dubbed by marine experts and scientists as the heart of marine biodiversity in the world, our country is home to the highest concentration of coral reef life and astounding variety of marine species. This latest recognition is a validation that the Philippines is truly a premier dive destination,” said Department of Tourism (PDOT) Secretary Bernadette Romulo–Puyat.
Bernadette Mendoza (2nd from left), First Secretary and Consul of the Philippine Embassy, of the Philippines, receives the World’s Leading Dive Destination award from Graham Cooke, founder of the World Travel Awards.
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Meanwhile, Palawan’s prestigious Amanpulo Resort also emerged victorious as the World’s Leading Dive Resort and Asia’s Leading Private Island Resort, which it also won in 2016 and 2017.
El Nido, also in Palawan, took the Asia’s Responsible Tourism Award, a similar feat it previously achieved from 2014 to 2017.
The DOT was likewise recognized as Asia’s Leading Tourism Board for its efforts to increase visitor arrivals for the Philippines in the previous year in ceremonies held in Vietnam in October.
Identifying dive tourism as one of the key product portfolios under the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) 2016–2022, the DOT has hosted a number of dive–centric events, including the Anilao Underwater Shootout photography competition, and the Travel Trade Support through Dive Travel Exchange business–to–business (B2B) meetings
Recently, the DOT hosted the first Philippine International Dive Expo exposition that gave foreign buyers the opportunity to see and experience first–hand Philippine dive products and knowledge of the country’s dive destinations.
“Through the Philippine Commission on Sports Scuba Diving, we also ensure that diving safety and operating standards in the country are at par with the rest of the world,” said Puyat.
Founded in 1993, the WTA has been recognizing brands and organizations from the travel, tourism and hospitality industries all over the world that have raised the bar for global tourism standards, through its annual Grand Tour, a series of six regional gala ceremonies with a grand final ceremony at the end of each tour. (DOT)
