Philippine tourism received a series of positive publicity from the foreign media, following TIME’s travel piece on Manila and CNN’s features on Boracay windsurfing and the Filipino long Christmas celebration.
“The wave of publicity certainly helps usher in a good year for tourism. More importantly, the optimism of the foreign media reinforces our image as a desirable destination,” said Tourism Secretary Ace Durano.
In the January 25th issue of TIME Asia, the city of Manila was portrayed as “beguiling and reinvigorating for even the most world-weary” by correspondent Lara Day. The Hong Kong-based writer, photographer and editor for TIME and Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia however lamented that the country is less-frequented by travelers mainly because of a “flawed image problem.”
A recent feature in the National Geographic pointed out to the similar PR issue affecting the country, while the magazine listed the Cordillera mountains as one of the 25 best destinations for 2010.