Boracay Hailed ‘Best Island in Asia: The island of Boracay was recently lauded ‘best island in Asia’ for 2019 by Conde Nast Traveler in its 2019 Readers’ Choice Awards. Penang in Malaysia placed 3rd and Bali in Indonesia placed 5th. Other notable destinations included in the list were Cebu and Visayas islands. This was the verdict according to 600,000 voters in the magazine’s survey.
“This itty-bitty island (just under four square miles) in the Western Philippines is as close to a tropical idyll as you’ll find in Southeast Asia, with gentle coastlines and made-for-Instagram sunsets. The aptly named White Beach is Boracay’s main draw, with powdery white sand and shallow azure water ideal for swimming and snorkeling.” shares Conde Nast Traveler in their article published last October 7.
The magazine cited the best islands according to region. This includes Asia, Australia, the South Pacific, Caribbean, and the Atlantic, Europe, North America, Africa, and the Indian Ocean.
Conde Nast Traveler is an award-winning luxury and lifestyle travel magazine published by Conde Nast, an American mass media company based in Manhattan. Conde Nast has won over 25 national magazine awards and has a huge following across the globe.
Boracay is a small island on the northwest tip of Panay Island in the Western Visayas region. It is well known for its white beaches, also famous for being one of the world’s top tourist destinations for quality rest and relaxation. Boracay was awarded ‘best island in the world’ in 2012 by the international travel magazine Travel + Leisure and ‘best island in the world’ in 2014 by Conde Nast Traveler. In 2016, Boracay topped the magazine’s ‘top 10 destinations to watch’.
The island is comprised of three barangays, namely: Manoc Manoc, Balabag, and Yapak in the municipality of Malay in Aklan Province. It is administered by the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority in the provincial government of Aklan. In April 2018, however, the Philippine Government decreed a six-month closure for major renovation in terms of the sewage system, and to address the island’s need for environmental rehabilitation. It was considered the darkest time for local business owners as all operations were stopped. On the other hand, the island reopened in October 2018 and this time, it has a new set of rules for strict compliance. It also led to the creation of the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force – Executive Order No 53 dated May 2018.
