The Philippines is a key gateway into Southeast Asia and is now among the fastest growing economies in the region.
It has more than 7,500 islands which offer travellers an array of special experiences and travel highlights.
Norjamin Delos Reyes, Tourism Attaché at Philippine Department of Tourism Australia and New Zealand said, “Australian travellers are becoming increasingly aware of the stunning beauty of the Philippines. It’s an incredible destination that is perfect for this market, considering Australians’ love of adventure, travel and passion for discovering unexplored destinations.”
“Our lush, tropical backdrops, iconic sunsets, and dreamy tropical beaches make the Philippines one of the most exotic holiday destinations. As a destination, it is still relatively undiscovered and offers unparalleled value, so there’s no better time to get to know our tropical archipelago, world-renowned for its abundance of beauty, wildlife and bio-diversity.”
Top 10 things you never knew about the Philippines:
- We have over 7,500 islands. This number has increased from 7,107 when, earlier this year, more islands were officially recognised and counted!
- We are a county of smiling, highly skilled, English-speaking people. Don’t be shy about approaching a Filipino and starting a conversation. We’re not just fun, we’re officially friendly too. Forbes.com ranked the Philippines as the friendliest country in Asia and the eighth friendliest place in the world.
- The Philippines offers excellent value for money, with a bottle of beer only 1AUD.
- Palawan is officially the ‘Best Island in the World’, as voted by Conde Nast Traveller’s Readers’ Choice for 2015 and 2014. Boracay and Cebu also ranked highly at 15th and 19th respectively.
- The Philippines was voted ‘Destination of the Year 2014’ by TTG Travel Awards.
- The Philippines was named Lonely Planet’s ‘Must-see Destination in 2015.’
- The town of Vigan in the province of Ilocos Sur was officially inaugurated as one of the Seven Wonder Cities of the World in May 2015.
- The Philippines is the heart of marine biodiversity. The Philippines archipelago is located within the Coral Triangle and has 76 percent of the world’s coral species, six of the world’s seven marine turtle species and at least 2,228 reef fish species.
- The ‘It’s more fun in the Philippines’ marketing campaign, stemmed from a single question asked to the Department of Tourism ‘why would a tourist want to come to the Philippines?’
- Puerto Princesa Subterranean River is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the new Seven Wonders of Nature.
For more information visit Tourism Philippines at https://www.tourismphilippines.com.au/.
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