PH among hottest travel destinations for 2013

MANILA, Philippines – Just days after the Philippines was called one of the “destinations to watch in 2013,” another prestigious travel magazine dubbed the country as one of the hottest travel spots this year.

Travel + Leisure included the Philippines in its “13 for 2013” list, which the magazine compiled with the help of branding agencies and other experts.

Some of the Philippine destinations featured in the article are Boracay island in Aklan, Panglao island in Bohol, and El Nido Resorts and Ariara in Palawan.

“The archipelago of Palawan, a UNESCO biosphere reserve in the Philippines, just added a resort with a scuba center; hop a two-hour flight from Hong Kong and you’ll soon be diving with the sea turtles,” Travel + Leisure’s Heidi Mitchell wrote.

Aside from the Philippines, other places in Travel + Leisure’s list include Bahia Ballena in Costa Rica, Basilicata in Italy, Puerto Rico, Minneapolis in the United States, Reunion island in France, Nepal, Charlevoix in Quebec, Uco Valley in Argentina, Zambia, Amsterdam, and Gold Coast in Australia.

“So get out your map, block out some vacation time on your calendar, and make 2013 a year of travel discoveries. We promise at least a few of these places to go next will surprise you,” Mitchell wrote.

The Philippines has been constantly mentioned in Travel + Leisure, with the magazine naming Boracay as the world’s best island getaway last year.

Just recently, the country’s native yellow rice cake, bibingka, was dubbed as one of the “world’s most traditional holiday foods,” putting it alongside dishes from Japan, China, Russia and Sweden, among others.