MANILA – Surfing capital Siargao has been included in Conde Nast Traveller’s list of best holiday destinations for 2020.

The teardrop-shaped island in southern Philippines ranked eighth in the list of 20 spots across the globe.

Citing its “pristine beaches, tree frog-green mangrove forests, and sweeping groves of coconut palms,” Conde Nast Traveller said Siargao is “giving Bali a run for its money.”

“Less than a tenth the size of Bali, the island feels the way the Indonesian hotspot did three decades ago: scooters with surfboard racks ferry people about the streets, convenience stores pour petrol from glass Coca Cola bottles, and farmers sell rice – dried on tarpaulins at the side of the main road – at the local market,” the lifestyle and travel magazine said.

“This island idyll won’t stay low-key for long – 12 flights a day now land at Siargao’s tiny airport, up from two per week – so pack your surfboard now.”

In compiling the list, Conde Nast Traveller said it was looking for places that are “geographically diverse” and those that cover “a range of trips, from eco-tourism to adventure, to inspire every type of traveller.”

Here are the lifestyle and travel magazine’s best 20 holiday destinations for 2020:

1. Pakistan
2. Plymouth, UK
3. Kyrgyzstan
4. Armenia
5. Salvador, Brazil
6. Kangaroo Island, Australia
7. Galway, Ireland
8. Siargao, Philippines
9. Paris, France
10. Egadi Islands, Sicily
11. Dakar, Senegal
12. Portland, Maine, US
13. Lebanon
14. Qingdao, China
15. Frisian Islands, Denmark
16. British Virgin Islands
17. Rabat, Morocco
18. Panama
19. Rijeka, Croatia
20. Kyoto, Japan