A prestigious travel magazine based in Great Britain has ranked Palawan as the “most desirable island” in the world, topping other famous tourist destinations such as Tobago, St. Helena, Bali, and Zanzibar.
In a statement released Thursday, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco thanked Wanderlust Magazine for the awards.
Palawan bagged the accolade just days after it was included in Fodor’s “Go List” for 2023.
Wanderlust conferred the recognition to Palawan based on judgment by tens of thousands of readers of the publication, considered as one of the longest-running travel magazines in the United Kingdom.
Palawan was adjudged one of the winners of the Wanderlust Travel Awards 2022.
“The Philippines is an archipelago with more than 2,000 inhabited islands, yet Wanderlust readers have selected Palawan to be not just be the best in the country, but the best in the world,” read a post on Wanderlust’s website. “The scenery here is heaven on earth with sparkling waters and white sand beaches.”
At second place in the Most Desirable Island (Rest of World) category is Tobago, followed by Viti Levu, Cuba, St. Helena, Rapa Nui/Easter Island, St Lucia, Zanzibar, Bali, and Tasmania. Wanderlust Travel Awards 2022 has a separate category for the “most desirable” islands in Europe.
The UK travel magazine also recognized the “most desirable” countries, cities, regions, and emerging destinations, with separate categories for Europe and “rest of the world.”
The country’s Tourism Board, through the Philippine Department of Tourism-Central Visayas Office, also placed 6th in the Wanderlust Sustainability Initiative Category for its Dive7 Program.
“Rest assured that we will continue with our mission to herald the Philippines and the Filipino brand to the world, and to ensure the continued sustainability of our islands,” Frasco said.