The island of Aklan stands out from the 7,000+ islands that make up the Philippine archipelago as the ‘best leisure vacation destination’.
The breathtaking landscape of the island of Boracay once again proved its lasting beauty as it secured a spot in the New York-based travel magazine’s list of Favorite Islands in the World. Philippines’ pristine gem, best known for its white powdery sand beaches and picture-perfect sunsets, ranked fourth in Asia in 2022, alongside Palawan and Cebu.
This year, the crystal-clear waters of the island of Boracay ranked after the Great Barrier Reef Islands (Australia), Maldives, Bali (Indonesia), Madeira (Portugal), Phuket (Thailand), Skye and the Hebrides (Scotland), Koh Samui (Thailand), Dominica (Caribbean), and Langkawi (Malaysia).
What You Have to Know About the World’s Most Favorite Islands 2023
With more than 4.8 million readers around the world, the 4.5 miles long tiny island garnered the attention of globetrotters as ‘the island that never sleeps’ and ‘the best leisure vacation destination’ with the astounding number of activities that you can do around the island. Boracay received a score of 92.94, making it the 10th most favorite island in the world.
In the post released by Travel + Leisure, a survey was conducted to weigh in on the travel experiences of travelers around the world—allowing them to share their opinion on the top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and other important aspects of the tourism industry. T+L was able to gather a total of 685,000 votes, and the best islands were rated on the following criteria: natural attractions, activities, restaurants, people, and value. “For each characteristic, respondents could choose a rating of excellent, above average, average, below average, or poor. The final scores are averages of the responses.”
In the first half of the year, the Malay-Boracay Tourism Office has already recorded an astounding 1.14 million tourist arrivals—with domestic travelers dominating the island at 899,775 (79%) and 214,754 (19%) for foreign tourists—compared to the 932,433 recorded pre-pandemic in the entire year of 2019.
Despite not making it onto the world’s favorite islands list, Palawan still claimed the 23rd spot in Travel + Leisure’s Best Tropical Vacations, which was released in early February this year. In addition, it has also secured a spot in May in “13 Places Where You Can See the Clearest Water in the World.”
Indeed, the Philippines is definitely blessed with the unrivaled beauty of natural wonders, complemented by the warmth and endless talent of the Filipinos. As the Department of Tourism continues to strive to encourage more people to travel around the Philippines, may this recognition bring more reasons for Filipino and foreign tourists to #LovethePhilippines.
Here’s the complete list of the 25 Favorite Islands in the World in 2023, as curated by international publication Travel + Leisure:
- Great Barrier Reef Islands, Australia (96.11)
- Maldives (95.68)
- Bali, Indonesia (94.40)
- Madeira, Portugal (94.33)
- Phuket, Thailand (94.21)
- kye and the Hebrides, Scotland (94.13)
- Koh Samui, Thailand (93.89)
- Dominica (93.66)
- Langkawi, Malaysia (93.65)
- Boracay, Philippines (92.94)
- Paros, Greece (92.47)
- Fiji Islands, Fiji (92.29)
- Golden Isles, Georgia (92.15)
- Moorea, French Polynesia (92.15)
- Zanzibar, Tanzania (91.53)
- The Seychelles (91.47)
- The Azores, Portugal (90.92)
- Bora-Bora, French Polynesia (90.80)
- Rhodes and the Dodecanese, Greece (90.67)
- Mackinac Island, Michigan (90.67)
- Galápagos Islands, Ecuador (90.60)
- Hvar and the Dalmatian Islands, Croatia (90.20)
- Sicily, Italy (90.13)
- Anguilla (90.10)
- Santorini, Greece (89.51)
