Palawan in China’s top 10 destinations for elite travelers

Palawan, the country’s renowned ecotourism site, is once again hailed as among the top 10 best destinations for elite travelers in China. Initiated by Ctrip.com, China’s leading and trusted online travel agency, and popular high-end travel glossy Elite Traveller, the polling for top overseas destinations of 2009 gathered a total of 4,340,122 valid votes through www.ctrip.com, emails, fax, and snail mail.

Tourism Secretary Ace Durano noted, “Receiving this recognition for one of our carefully protected eco-tourism sites is indeed a great milestone ushering for more positive news in tourism at the onset of the year.”

Reaffirming the distinction of being a most sought-after destination for the Chinese market, the country continues to pride itself with natural wonders and eco-tourism sites. The Palawan Underground River has also been continually in the top list of the New7Wonders of Nature online poll, and is now officially the country’s bet for the final stage which will be held in 2011.

“More than promoting our destinations to travelers, we aim to raise awareness on the preservation and protection of our natural wonders through responsible travel,” said Undersecretary for Tourism Planning and Promotions Eduardo Jarque Jr.

The list of 10 Top destinations include the Pyramids of Egypt; the Gold Coast of Australia; Masai Mara in Kenya; Lake Wakatipu in New Zealand, the cosmopolitan city of Paris, France; Jungfrau in Switzerland; beach destination Maldives; Disney World in Orlando World, USA, and Bali Island in Indonesia.

Representatives and travel agencies from more than 30 countries and regions were present at the grand awarding ceremonies held in the Radisson Plaza Xing Guo Hotel in Shanghai, China.

Accepting the award was Gerry Panga, Tourism Attaché for DOT Shanghai. “We are pressed to maintain the Philippines’ position as one of the most sought-after travel destinations in the world, through our intensified our marketing programs to promote our country’s treasures to the nature-loving Chinese travelers.”

China remains as the country’s third largest source market for tourists. –Manila Standard Today