By Azer N. Parrocha
MANILA, Oct 21 (PNA) — The small island of Palawan, according to most readers in a survey conducted by a US travel magazine Conde Nast Traveler magazine, is the top island destination in the world.
Palawan snagged the top spot after receiving a reader’s rating of 88.750 in the magazine’s annual Reader’s Choice Awards for being home to the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River, its critically-acclaimed underground river.
There were 30 islands that made it to the top island destination list released Monday. Aside from Palawan, Boracay Island in Aklan also made it to the top island destination list, clinching the 12th spot with a rating of 82.683.
The magazine mentioned that Palawan’s natural wonder is “one of the longest underground rivers in the world.”
It also took note of the guided boat tours that would “take visitors down a portion of the waterway, where karsts, natural rock formations created by dissolving limestone, loom in every direction.”
Meanwhile, it gave Boracay credit for its “gentle coastlines and transporting sunsets.” It also took note of the island’s “thriving nightlife scene.”
Other islands on the list were Kiawah Island, South Carolina; Maui, Hawaii; Kauai, Hawaii; Bazaruto Archipelago, Mozambique; Great Barrier Reef and Whitsunday Islands, Australia; Santorini and Cyclades, Greece; St. John, US Virgin Islands; Kangaroo Island, Australia; and Big Island, Hawaii in 2nd to 10th place, respectively.
The Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Survey started in 1988 while the magazine itself began traveling the globe tracking down journeys since 1987.
Its website, CNTraveler.com also allows readers to tap into a living global archive of the very best hotels, restaurants, shops, itineraries, beaches, villages, and villas.
Palawan and Boracay account for two of the most visited tourist destinations in the Philippines, according to the Department of Tourism (DOT).
In fact, the two destinations are featured in the DOT’s official television commercials (TVCs) aired internationally and can also be viewed on video-sharing website, YouTube. (PNA)