ONE of the most awaited honors in the global travel and tourism industry is the Readers’ Choice Awards of Condé Nast Traveler (CNT). The awards were published this week, and overall it was a bust for the Philippines.
Sure, we made it to the Best in Asia categories, but unfortunately the country failed again to make the grade among the world’s best categories. Honestly, I wasn’t even counting on the Philippines landing in the ‘Best Cities’ or the ‘Best Countries in the World’ categories. We didn’t even make it to the ‘Friendliest Countries in the World!’
The Philippines, famous for the world over for putting our guests’ comfort and happiness first, and ensuring they have fun, never mind if we bust our wallets doing so, wasn’t even on that list. We smile at everyone, especially visitors from other parts of the globe, and generally help them be at ease in our culture, our food, and our traditions. (Although we’re actually sungit to each other, except when we’re sharing chismis. Go figure.)
Yet, we lost out to Thailand and Seychelles (tied at No. 8 with overall readers’ satisfaction scores each of 96.36), Mauritius and Chile (tied at 96.67), Vietnam (97.27), Cambodia (97.33), Bhutan (97.78), Mexico (98.00), Barbados (98.18), and topping the list was Kenya (98.46). So CNT readers don’t love the Philippines, huh?
Notice that four of those ‘friendliest countries’ are Asian nations, which do not have a tradition of speaking English among their peoples. This just underscores the fact that, for many travelers, they visit destinations for the sites, culture and food, and rarely because the locals speak English. So the powers-that-be should drop that as among the Philippines’ strengths as a tourist destination.
(Frankly, I’ve had beef with how the Department of Tourism spends its meager tourism marketing budget; like right now, instead of proclaiming the safety of Cebu and the Philippines to tourists all over the world, its Facebook page continues to wallow in self-pity due to the damage wrought by the recent earthquake in Cebu. One social media marketing expert asked me incredulously, ‘Why would you post this in a tourism page?’ referring to a video of President Marcos Jr. and the DOT chief visiting the quake-hit areas. ‘It’s a turn-off to tourists!’ Indeed. Hay.)
Meanwhile, Boracay ranked No. 4 with a score of 92.65 in the ‘Best Islands in Asia’ category. It follows consistent top-ranking Bali (96.86), Lombok (94.86), and Sri Lanka (93.57), with Penang (88.57) bookending the list.
In the 2024 Readers’ Choice Awards, however, Boracay ranked ahead of Sri Lanka, while Palawan, Cebu and the Visayan Islands, and Siargao were also on that list.
Still, many of my friends on Boracay are celebrating the recognition, just happy to be ranked among the best. I cannot deny that as a beach destination, Boracay still ranks among the most superior with its creamy fine white sand and a wide array of hotels and resorts to fit all sorts of budgets. It is the default destination for our family for special events like birthdays, weddings, or anniversaries.
However, its food choices, once the most excellent in the country in terms of the range of cuisines available, now cost more than in Metro Manila. I suppose, these are affordable for foreigners, who are getting more bang for their buck due to the depreciated peso. Now if only we can actually attract the international travelers back to the island.
Among the ‘Top 20 Resorts in Asia’ this year, El Nido Resorts (Lagen, Apulit, Pangalusian, and Miniloc Islands) ranked no. 6 with a readers’ satisfaction score of 98. (It received the same recognition in 2021.) Topping the list is Wildflower Hall, Shimla, India (99.67); followed by COMO Uma Punakha, Bhutan (99); Topas Ecolodge, Sapa, Vietnam (98.41); Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra Golf and Spa Resort, Siem Reap, Cambodia (98.27); and JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay Resort and Spa, Vietnam (98.02).
I’ve been fortunate to have stayed on Miniloc and Lagen islands in the past, and while I remember that the food at the buffet then were nothing to write home about, the rooms were quite splendid, offering a luxurious and comfortable stay. And of course, the service from the staff was just impeccable.
But then I’d be hard-pressed to think of any hotel or resort in the country wanting in terms of staff service. We are, after all, known to be among the most hospitable people in the world, that the demand for Filipinos in hospitality establishments abroad are unceasing.
Also, the myriad of activities that one can engage in El Nido – kayaking over the turquoise waters, visiting a secluded island for swimming and snorkeling, cruising to check out impressive caves, even just bird-watching – remain in my core memory of the best things I’ve done as tourist. (Re: the food, my visits to these resorts took place many years ago and I assume that changes have been made in the kitchen.)
As for the ‘Best Resorts in The Rest of Asia’, Amanpulo, which has hosted Hollywood celebrities such as Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Madonna, Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Jeremy Renner, and Rachel Weisz, etc. in the past, ranked fifth (94.77). The list was toped by Six Senses Ninh Van Bay in Vietnam (96.59); followed by The Datai Langkawi, Malaysia (96.58); Ahu Bay, Sri Lanka (95.77); and The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi, Malaysia (95.46).
Earlier, I also wrote about Palawan being on CNT editors’ list of winterscapes for 2026, a list published before the Readers’ Choice Awards. ‘Picture the Maldives, add soaring limestone karsts, and you’ve arrived at the islands of Palawan. The Philippines’ most sparsely populated region has lately become the whispered-about tropical Shangri-La, and was the original inspiration for Alex Garland’s The Beach-the sneakster just didn’t want anyone to find it, so set the story in Thailand instead,’ CNT said.
Thank goodness for small mercies, I guess.
But really, DOT and its attached agencies must do a better job of marketing the Philippines to foreign tourists. The Marcos Jr. administration has less than three years to implement a strategic campaign to at least get us back to the prepandemic arrivals of 8.3 million.
A small budget is not an excuse; the DOT has dealt with that limitation under previous administrations. It’s about crafting the right message that will resonate with travelers first, on the best reasons to visit the country, and maybe after they can acknowledge that they love the Philippines.