By Mariela Angella Oladive
Boracay Island, located in Malay, Aklan, has added another prestigious accolade to its collection after being named Asia’s Leading Luxury Island Destination at the 2024 World Travel Awards (WTA).
The announcement was made during the WTA Asia & Oceania Gala Ceremony held on September 3 at City of Dreams in Manila, marking the first time the Philippines hosted the prestigious event.
Boracay has earned several international awards in the past, including “World’s Best Island,” “World’s Greatest Places,” and “Asia’s Top Island,” cementing its status as one of the world’s most sought-after destinations.
The island continues to draw large numbers of tourists. In August 2024 alone, the Malay Tourism Office reported 159,826 tourist arrivals, including 127,549 domestic visitors, 30,596 foreign tourists, and 1,681 overseas Filipino workers and Filipinos.
The Philippines secured a total of eight awards alongside Boracay, including:
- Asia’s Leading Marketing Campaign 2024 (“Love the Philippines”)
- Asia’s Leading Tourist Attraction 2024 (Intramuros)
- Asia’s Leading Beach Destination 2024
- Asia’s Leading Dive Destination 2024
- Asia’s Leading Island Destination 2024
- Asia’s Leading Wedding Destination 2024 (Cebu)
- Transformational Leader Award in Tourism Governance (Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco)
Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco highlighted that these accolades reflect growing global confidence in the Philippines as a travel destination. She credited the awards to the administration’s efforts to transform the country into a tourism powerhouse and emphasized the success of the “Love the Philippines” campaign.
“Through ‘Love the Philippines,’ we aim to provide meaningful experiences that are personal and profound for travelers by introducing our country through our culture, heritage, festivals, food, arts, and other tourism offerings,” Frasco said.
The World Travel Awards is a global initiative that recognizes excellence across all key sectors of the travel, tourism, and hospitality industries.
The WTA gala, regarded as a milestone event in the industry, was made possible through the efforts of its event partner City of Dreams Manila, along with support from Megaworld Hotels & Resorts, Destileria Limtuaco, The Bellevue Hotels & Resorts, Vivere Hotel, Conrad Manila, Kultura Filipino & SM Retail Inc., and DrinkAid.
