Cebu has been nominated to the world travel awards 2021 as Asia's leading wedding destination (WTA).

Cebu will compete in the category against the other candidates: Bali in Indonesia, Ko Samui in Thailand and Langkawi in Malaysia.

The leading wedding destination in Asia was taken home by Bali in 2020 and 2019.

WTA is one of the renowned and extensive global agencies to recognise excellence in every key sector in the travel, tourism and hospitality industries, and to reward them.

Because of its pristine beaches and other natural jewels, Cebu has been a preferred marriage destination since the past.

Besides Cebu, the Philippines was also nominated for two awards under the 2021 WTA Asia Edition, namely: Asia’s Leading Beach Destination and Asia’s Leading Dive Destination. On the other hand, the Department of Tourism was shortlisted as Asia’s Leading Tourist Board.

“In addition to our efforts to expand the source markets for the Philippines and prepare for the eventual relaxation of our travel restrictions, we also put equal importance in maintaining the country’s image as a top-of-mind destination among international travelers through the help of notable industry platforms such as the WTA,” Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said, in a statement.

The 2021 WTA online voting period for Asia is open to the public and travel industry stakeholders via the WTA portal https://www.worldtravelawards.com/nominees/2021/asia from March 30 to August 16, 2021.

Online users can register simply with a valid e-mail address for an account on the WTA portal.

Registrants can cast their votes after an email verification.

In addition, the travel industry users have the option to apply for an upgraded WTA account, with additional details such as the name of the company and the registration association number, fulfilling the minimum 10 votes requirement.

“On behalf of the DOT, I am enjoining the support of our industry stakeholders, and Filipino and foreign travelers to support the Philippines in the 2021 WTA. By casting our votes, we can show that the Philippine tourism industry is alive and even more determined to bounce back, despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic,” Puyat said.

The votes cast by regular users are one and the votes cast by the voters in the travel industry two.

Last year, the Philippines won several awards including World's Leading Diving Destination, Leading Asia Beach, Asia's Leading Dive Destination, and the Leading Asian Tourist Board.