Sun Star: Cebu nominated as ‘Asia’s Leading Wedding Destination’

Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco is inviting travel consumers to vote for Cebu as Asia’s Leading Wedding Destination, after the province was nominated in the 30th World Travel Awards (WTA)-Asia Category.

Cebu will be competing against Bali (Indonesia), Ko Samui (Thailand) and Langkawi (Malaysia). The winner in the last four years in this category was Bali, Indonesia.

Besides Cebu, the Walled City of Intramuros was also nominated as Asia’s Leading Tourist Attraction, the same award it won at last year’s WTA.

Intramuros will be competing with 12 tourism hot spots in Asia like Angkor Temples (Cambodia), Borobudur Temple Compounds (Indonesia), Great Wall of China, Ha Long Bay (Vietnam), Sengan-en and Shoko Shuseikan Museum, Kagoshima (Japan), Taj Mahal (India), teamlab Planets Tokyo (Japan), teamLab SuperNature Macao (China), Terracotta Warriors (China), The Forbidden City (China), Tokyo Imperial Palace (Japan) and Victoria Peak (Hong Kong).

Moreover, the Philippines has been nominated as Asia’s Leading Beach Destination. Vying for this same award are nominees India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. The Philippines was a big winner in this category in the last three years.

The Department of Tourism is likewise nominated as Asia’s Leading Tourism Board at the 2023 WTA.

“I invite my fellow Filipinos as well as our foreign friends to show some love and help keep the travel momentum for the Philippines. Sign up and cast your votes now,” Frasco said.

Voting for the 2023 WTA’s various categories (including Asia) officially opened on Feb. 20, 2023, and it will be open until midnight of March 19, 2023. The casting of votes is open to travel professionals, media and tourism consumers.

Frasco said the Department of Tourism is “extremely elated” of these nominations at the landmark 30th anniversary of the WTA.

“These recurring nominations clearly manifest the growing global travel demand in the Philippines, one that we aim to sustain in the coming days through the initiatives we have laid out for the tourism industry’s recovery and transformation post-pandemic,” said Frasco.

Register and cast your votes for the Philippines, Cebu, Intramuros, and the DOT at the 2023 WTA here: https://www.worldtravelawards.com/vote.