The Philippines received the prestigious Best Port of Call award at this year’s Asia Cruise Awards in recognition of its efforts to boost tourism through the cruise sector.

The Asia Cruise Leaders’ Network (ACLN) chose the country in recognition of its efforts to boost the cruise aspect of its tourism sector through various initiatives related to giving foreign travellers and local cruise aficionados a safe, comfortable, and exciting stop on their trips.

The awards were part of this year’s Asia Cruise Forum held in Jeju, South Korea.

For her part, Christina Frasco, secretary of the Department of Tourism (DOT), sees the award as recognition for the country’s cruise tourism stakeholders for reviving the industry following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Frasco said: “[We have] identified cruise tourism as one of the strategic products capable of attracting large regional markets. With 7,641 islands, there is immense potential in further expanding the cruise tourism portfolio in the Philippines, and that is why the effort is to collaborate with our partners from the national and local government units, private sector stakeholders, and destinations to expand our cruise tourism offerings.”

The secretary added that the DOT will also work with their counterpart national government agencies to amend a number of existing policies with the ultimate goal of making it easier and more convenient for international cruises to call on the country.