PHILIPPINES: Travel To The Philippines

The year 2016 was pretty great for the Philippines in terms of tourism development and presence on the International market.

We review some of the Philippines’ news stories that give focus to all the amazing achievements and improvements the country is making to present itself to the world:

Early in 2016, it was discovered the Philippines had a number of unrecorded islands within its territory. An estimated 534 of them were recently “discovered,” bumping up the count from 7,107 to 7,641. New species of plants and animals might be discovered on these islands, leading to new attractions and destinations for tourists.

Already a popular vacation spot in the Philippines, the honor of being Condé Nast Traveler’s best island in the world really sealed the deal for this island destination. Being one of the Top 10 is already a big achievement in itself, but actually ranking No. 1 really gives this amazing destination an edge over the rest of the white sand beaches across Southeast Asia.

More Filipino words were added to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) within the year, which included several foods and terms of familial endearment such as pancit, puto, tito, tita and many others. The OED is well known for keeping historic accounts of core words from languages across the world. The more Filipino words are included in the OED the better the country becomes know to the rest of the world.

With a new president at the helm, the Philippines is facing a new era of change. During President Duterte’s State of the Nation Address (SONA), many problems were brought to light and solutions were definitely promised. Among these were, of course, improvements to the country’s tourism infrastructure: better roads and gateways; increased aquacultural and agricultural preservation. Terrorism and drug trafficking will also be curbed to make tourists and travelers feel safer than before.

Philippine pride swelled up again when the 2016 Miss International winner turned out to be Miss Kylie Verzosa. Kylie really strutted her stuff onstage and made sure the judges saw that Filipino women not only had stunning looks, but also amazing confidence, personality and wit. With Pia Wurtzbach winning the coveted Miss Universe crown many months back, the home country of these lovely women garnered more attention worldwide.

With the year 2017 just coming in a few days, who knows what new and exciting developments will be waiting for the Philippines? With all the modernization and recognition it’s been receiving, the country should definitely be part of your travel destinations list for the new year.