Philippines named 2nd most Instagrammable place in world

MANILA, Philippines — Due to its natural wonders, the Philippines was cited among the most Instagrammable places in the world for this year by an international travel website.

In its 50 Most Instagrammable Places in the World-2021 list, the Big 7 ranked the Philippines second to Tokyo, Japan.

“Home to incredible natural wonders like an underground river and tranquil rice terraces in addition to a vibrant culture and history spanning several millennia; and over 7,500 islands – the Philippines as a whole are extremely Instagrammable,” the Big 7 said.

“From the bustling capital of Manila complete with colorful colonial streets to the absolute oasis of Boracay, the gram opportunities here are endless,” it added.

Apart from Tokyo, the Philippines is joined by other international destinations such as Paris in France, New York City and Istanbul in Turkey.

In October, the Big 7 cited two Philippine islands as among the 50 most beautiful places in the world: Palawan, which ranked 8th and Boracay, grabbing the 18th spot.

Despite the pandemic, the Philippines continues to retain the interest of the global travel community, with citations from various magazines and websites.

Recently, the White Beach in Boracay and El Nido in Palawan placed second and ninth, respectively, in Condé Nast’s Traveler’s 25 Best Island Beaches in the World: 2020 Readers’ Choice Awards list.

Conde Nast’s Caitlin Morton described Boracay as a “screensaver brought to life, with dazzling white sand, so-clear-you-can-see-your-toes water and a lush jungle backdrop, available to anyone willing to make the journey.”

“The island used to fly under the radar with one of the most beautiful beaches in the world – but the secret’s out. Now the three-mile White Beach, with its grottos and beachside dining (and nightlife), is its busiest swath of sand,” Morton added.

As for Palawan, Morton said the destination shockingly remains steadily under the radar, even though it continues to rank highly in Readers’ Choice Awards.

“El Nido alone is home to around 50 white sand beaches – it’s impossible to choose just one – all of which are set around dramatic limestone formations and have the finest and whitest sand you’ll ever see. The water is so blindingly blue it makes the Caribbean Sea look murky in comparison. And the sunsets? Well, they’ll ruin you for life. Consider yourself warned,” Morton said.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) said the inclusion of these two destination gems in the prestigious travel publication’s annual Readers’ Choice Awards, is sheer recognition of their unparalleled beauty and uniquely diverse resources.

“We would like to thank the travelers who voted for our destinations. We draw inspiration from this warm reception and solid vote of confidence from our satisfied patrons. As our destinations gradually reopen with health and safety measures in place, we will continue our conservation and protection efforts of these areas,” Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said earlier.

At present, international tourists are still not allowed to visit the country due to COVID-19 related travel restrictions.

In 2020, international visitor arrivals dropped 83.97 percent to 1.3 million from 8.2 million arrivals in 2019.

This translated to an 83.12 percent drop in inbound tourism receipts for the year to P81.40 billion.