A cruise ship approaches a port in the Philippines in this undated photo provided by the Department of Tourism.
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines bagged its first-ever “Asia’s Best Cruise Destination” award from the prestigious World Cruise Awards, the Department of Tourism (DOT) said Monday.
DOT Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco thanked the award-giving body, noting that the title “is a big win for Philippine tourism as it reflects a resounding global preference for our island destinations.”
“We extend our sincere appreciation to all our tourism stakeholders for their hard work and collaboration. The shared tourism governance between the government and the private sector espoused by the Marcos Administration is bearing fruit. We are committed to [maintaining] and [enhancing] the Philippines’ standing as an outstanding cruise destination in Asia and the world,” she said in her acceptance speech.
The awarding ceremony was held in Dubai on Sunday, October 15.
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Other Asian countries that vied for the award include India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The World Cruise Awards is an annual program that celebrates excellence in the cruise industry. It is a highly anticipated ceremony for cruise professionals, media, and consumers worldwide.
The World Cruise Awards is also affiliated with the renowned World Travel Awards, which hailed the Philippines as “Asia’s Leading Dive Destination” for the fifth consecutive year last September.
The DOT said 128 ports of call or cruise calls across 33 destinations in the Philippines are expected this 2023 – which are projected to bring in more than 101,000 passengers and 50,000 ship crew members.
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The DOT said that among the cruise ships arriving in the Philippines this year are the Seaborne Encore, Silver Shadow, MSC Poesia, Queen Elizabeth, Norwegian Jewel, Coral Adventure, MS Seven Seas Explorer, MS Star Breeze, Silver Whisper, Oceania Cruises, Aidabella, and the Blue Dream Cruise which just made its first voyage to the country last week.
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Based on media reports, the Liberian-based cruise ship docked at Subic port on October 12.