The Philippines has secured an award as Best Ports of Call at the 10th Asia Cruise Awards, held during the Asia Cruise Forum in Jeju Island, South Korea.

The award came at the heels of the hullabaloo involving a Cebu port official who allegedly asked for money from a cruise captain to allow passengers and crew to disembark.

In a statement, Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco said the award highlights the efforts of tourism stakeholders in revitalizing the country’s cruise industry post-pandemic.

“Under the National Tourism Development Plan 2023-2028 approved by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the Department of Tourism has identified cruise tourism as one of the strategic products capable of attracting large regional markets. With 7,641 islands, there is immense potential in further expanding the cruise tourism portfolio in the Philippines, and that is why the effort is to collaborate with our partners from the national and local government units, private sector stakeholders, and destinations to expand our cruise tourism offerings, and to work with our counterpart national government agencies in liberalizing policies, with the ultimate goal of making it easier and more convenient for more cruises to call on the country,” Secretary Frasco said.

In a ceremonial awarding of the recent cruise citation held during the launch of the Cruise Visa Waiver Program on Tuesday (16 July) at the TIEZA Multi-Purpose Hall, Secretary Frasco added that, “these accolades reaffirm our vision and validate our efforts in positioning our country as a must-visit destination for cruise enthusiasts.”

The annual Asia Cruise Forum in Jeju provides a platform for cruise industry stakeholders to collaborate on creating a competitive advantage for Asia in the cruise tourism landscape.