Cebu is 19th best island in the world

Cebu was again hailed one of the best island destinations in the world by an award-winning US travel magazine, but its ranking fell to 19th this year.

“The most densely populated island in the Philippines, Cebu is famous for its beaches, on the mainland as well as around many of the surrounding islands. Not as wild as Phuket in Thailand, Cebu City is more personal, with plenty of up-and-coming restaurants and shopping,” Conde Nast Traveler (CNT) said of Cebu.

“To get a true taste of island life, head off the grid on the Camotes Islands, two hours east of Cebu,” it added.

Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale, said Cebu’s rank in Conde Nast’s Best Islands in the World is a challenge for the province to improve. The list was drawn  from results of tje  magazine’s annual Readers’ Choice Awards survey.

Cebu placed 7th worldwide four times in the past decade, was in 8th place twice and clinched the 3rd spot in the Asia category in 2013.

Magpale, head  of the provincial board committee on tourism, said she was thankful that Cebu is still part of the list and said this year’s rating will encourage stakeholders to work harder.

“That has been our effort. That’s why we worry about crimes, but we’re really doing our best to develop more destinations in the province, as well as in the city,” she said.

Boracay island in Aklan ranks 15th and, for the second straight year, the island of Palawan is on top of the list.

The magazine recognized the entry of the  Puerto Princesa Subterreanean River as one the new seven natural wonders of the world.

“Palawan’s natural wonder is one of the longest underground rivers in the world, traveling five miles through a subterranean cave system. Guided boat tours take visitors down a portion of the waterway, where karsts, natural rock formations created by dissolving limestone, loom in every direction,” Conde Nast Traveler said.

Boracay’s “gentle coastlines, transporting sunsets, powdery white sand, and shallow azure water ideal for swimming and snorkeling.”

Palawan bested 19 other world-famous islands, including Bora Bora (2nd) and Moorea (3rd) in French Polynesia, Bermuda (5th), Bali in Indonesia (8th), Santorini in Greece (9th), British Virgin Islands (12th), and Maldives (16th).

Palawan got a rating of 85.937, Boracay got  80.856 while Cebu got 80.404 from Conde Nast Traveler readers.

Other islands which cracked the top 20 were Hvar and Dalmatian Islands in Croatia (20th), Sta. Lucia (18th), Orkney Islands in Scotland (17th), Mykonos in Greece (14th), St. John, USVI (13th),

Cook Islands (11th), Tasmania in Australia (10th), Vancouver Island in Canada (7th), Great Barrier Reef and Whitsunday Islands in Australia (6th), and Waiheke Island in New Zealand (4th).