Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Boracay and Palawan among world’s top 10 destinations

Boracay and Palawan have landed in the top 10 list of best destinations in the world by international publications.

The white, powdery sands and azure waters of Boracay, Aklan landed in the top 10 beach destinations of the Asian Wall Street Journal. The publication noted Boracay as a favorite among Asian holiday seekers for the variety of activities and entertainment available—from water sports to spas, from all-night parties to quiet, secluded nooks. It is also the only Southeast Asian attraction in the survey, joining other upcoming and exotic places such as Honduras, Abu Dhabi and Montenegro.

Asian Wall Street Journal’s list was endorsed by a panel of executives from global companies in the luxury hotel and cruise industry, including Four Seasons, which operates 74 hotels in 31 countries, the internationally acclaimed Ritz Carlton, high-ranking Asian brand Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, and Amanresorts, a company that specializes in top-quality spa getaways.

Meanwhile, the Internet-based SmartTravelAsia.com’s latest annual reader poll, Best Travel Brands 2007, also ranked Boracay as one of the top 10 holiday destinations in Asia, sharing the same slot with Palawan.

Over one million subscribers, comprised mainly of jet-set business executives and affluent travelers who make an average of 15 trips a year, participated in the online voting process. Most of the respondents are based in Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Australia, India, China, Malaysia and Japan.

Coron, too

Forbes Traveler Magazine, on the other hand, cited diverse marine life in and around the sunken Japanese warships off Coron, Palawan for including it in the top 10 best scuba sites in the world.

Forbes Traveler, the travel and leisure publication of Forbes Magazine, caters to the affluent traveler. It provides facts and reviews from tour experts aware of their readers’ sophisticated tastes.

Forbes Traveler’s top 10 list was chosen by known underwater photographer Jack Jackson and other scuba and water sports pros: Sport Diver Magazine executive director Tom Morrisey, Scuba Diving Magazine editor-at-large Nick Lucey and Ocean First Divers operations manager Amy Christopher. Sport Diver Magazine and Scuba Diving Magazine are the top resources for water sports enthusiasts around the world, while Ocean First Divers is one of the biggest environmentally conscious dive tour operators in the United States.

No comments: