Philippines named among top 3 dive destinations

After only a few weeks since the travel news website CNNGo included the Tubbataha Reef and The Canyons in Puerto Galera in its list of the best dive sites in the world, the Philippines continue to reap accolades from dive enthusiasts. The country was named once again as one of the top 3 dive destinations in the world during the Marine Diving Fair 2012 held recently in Tokyo, Japan.

The Philippines is the only ASEAN country that was ranked as among the top three dive destinations together with Maldives and Palau, according to the Department of Tourism on Monday.
It also noted that the Philippines has been included in the top five “Best Overseas Destinations” since 2006 and one of the top 10 “Dream Destinations.” 

Tourism Secretary Ramon R. Jimenez, Jr. said the awards affirmed the country’s status as a "must-see dive destination." 

The Marine Diving Fair 2012 in Tokyo, Japan, was held from April 6-8. It was one of the largest diving and beach resort exhibitions in Asia. It attracted over 50,000 visitors and showcased 200 exhibitors from 50 different countries. 

The Department of Tourism said that their colorful booth with its campaign logo "It's More Fun in the Philippines" was a “crowd drawer” at the event.

“With five aquariums placed strategically inside the booth and the paintings of marine life on the wall, fair visitors were drawn to the booth to discover what makes diving ‘more fun’ in the Philippines,” the DOT said. 

The participation of the Tourism Department at the event was aimed at maintaining the high profile of the country’s as a premier dive destination among Japanese. The country was among the top three sources of foreign tourist arrivals visiting the Philippines last year. 

News source: abs-cbnnews.com, philstar.com