Palace eyes tourism boost after PHL's high ranking in travel mag

Malacañang expects a further boost in tourism after three Philippine islands figured in the Top Ten list of a prominent international magazine. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte also said they are hoping the focus on the three islands – Luzon, Cebu and Mindanao – will also perk interest in domestic tourism. “Hopefully this particular review will bring more tourists to us not just tourists from abroad but also (our) domestic travelers,” she said on government-run dzRB radio. She also said the Palace hopes more Philippine islands could be featured as tourist destinations because they are “equally beautiful.” International travel magazine Conde Nast Traveller’s annual Readers’ Choice Awards had included Luzon, Cebu, and Mindanao as among Asia’s top 10 islands. Luzon was third after Bali (Indonesia) and Phuket (Thailand) in the list, getting a readers’ choice rating of 78.9. Cebu was seventh with a readers’ choice rating of 75.9, and Mindanao ranked 10th with 62.8. — LBG, GMA News