Israel high on Fun in the Philippines

MANILA, Philippines - Four Israeli news and travel companies have featured the Philippines in their websites as the next new destination for Israeli travelers to visit.

The feature articles on the Philippines, simultaneously published in Hebrew in late October, highlighted the country’s beautiful nature, especially the inclusion of Palawan and Boracay in Condé Nast Traveler’s “30 Best Islands in the World” this year.

At the conclusion of the online poll, Palawan emerged as the winner with more than 76,000 votes, while Boracay got the 12th place.

Because of Palawan, Boracay and other natural wonders found across the Philippines, the articles released by News1 (http://www.news1.co.il), Walla (http://travel.walla.co.il), Terminal (http://www.terminal.org.il), and International Air Services (http://www.ias.co.il) said that the country is becoming a “favorite destination among Israelis.”

The significant increase in the number of Israeli tourists to the Philippines is partly attributed to the collaborative efforts of the Philippine embassy in Tel Aviv and the Israel-Philippine Tourism Chamber in promoting Philippine tourism in Israel.

Since the chamber’s establishment during the Philippines’ inaugural participation in the 2013 International Mediterranean Tourism Market (IMTM) – which is Israel’s flagship and biggest annual tourism fair – he Philippine embassy and the chamber have partnered in several promotional activities to boost the number of Israeli tourists who are becoming more interested to visit the Philippines.

In 2013 alone, the number of Israelis traveling to the Philippines reached 7,675, marking a 30-percent increase on the full 2012 figure of 5,895.