CEBU, Philippines — Cebu has been nominated again as the leading wedding destination in the World Tourism Awards while several resorts in the Province and other tourism areas in the country have been nominated in other categories.
This is actually the sixth time that Cebu has been nominated as the best wedding destination in Asia under the WTA, but have failed to dethrone Indonesia based on the previous results posted on the WTA website.
The first nomination came in 2019 and has since been considered as one of the leading wedding destinations.
This time around, Cebu is competing for the same award against Bali, Indonesia; Ko Samui, Thailand; and Langkawi, Malaysia.
The Philippines also hopes to keep its title as the leading dive destination for the sixth time after being nominated again this year in the same category.
Aside from that, the Philippines has also been nominated as Asia’s leading beach destination, leading tourist attraction, leading island destination, and leading luxury island destination.
The Department of Tourism, led by Cebuana Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco, had also been nominated as Asia’s leading tourism board.
“These nominations underscore the dedicated efforts of the Department of Tourism since the inception of the Marcos Administration,” Sec. Frasco said in a statement.
For those who wants to support the country’s bid, voting for the WTA is open until July 28, 2024, through https://www.worldtravelawards.com/vote
Frasco expressed appreciation to WTA for the platform to showcase what the country has to offer.
“We express gratitude to WTA for providing The Philippines a platform to continuously showcase our diverse tourism offerings not only within Asia but on the global stage, but most importantly, we express our thanks to our tourism stakeholders who continue to safeguard the myriad of tourism gems in the Philippines for all the world to love and enjoy,” added Garcia-Frasco.
Under the WTA, the Philippines has so far collected 13 Asian awards and world recognition.
“While winning these accolades adds prestige to our endeavors, they also translate into livelihood opportunities for millions of Filipinos whose well-being depends on tourism. We aim to maintain and surpass the strides we’ve made since taking office, ensuring sustained growth in the country’s tourism sector,” emphasized Frasco.
A Global Tourism Resilience award was also bagged by the country last year, a significant award about “global leadership, pioneering vision, and innovation to overcome critical challenges and adversity.” – ATO (CEBU NEWS)