THE Heritage City of Vigan, the capital of Ilocos Sur province, made it to the final round in the search for the New 7 Wonder Cities of the World.
Bernard Weber, founder president of New 7 Wonders, said Vigan is among 14 cities included in the final list. The top seven cities will be announced on December 7.
The other contenders are Barcelona (Spain), Beirut (Lebanon), Chicago (United States), Doha (Qatar), Durban (South Africa), Havana (Cuba), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), La Paz (Bolivia), London (United Kingdom), Mexico City (Mexico), Perth (Australia), Quito (Ecuador) and Reykjavik (Iceland).
Vigan, the country’s oldest surviving Spanish colonial city that dates back to the 16th century, is one of the five heritage sites in the Philippines. The city is known for its cobbled streets, old houses and horse-drawn carriages.
The city was officially included in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) World Heritage List of Sites and Monuments.
The local government of Vigan called on Filipinos to vote for the city’s inclusion in the New 7 Wonder Cities of the World through www.new7wonders.com.
Vigan City tourism officer Edgardo de la Cruz said the contest is no walk in the park.
“The selection is lean and mean. We are competing with the biggest cities of the world,” de la Cruz added.
Vigan Mayor Eva Marie Medina thanked Filipinos all over the world for supporting the city’s bid to be included in the New 7 Wonder Cities of the World.
“The Philippines is tagged as the world’s texting capital and thus we attribute this success to the final round of text votes from Filipinos,” de la Cruz said.
Organizers said voting in the final round will now continue across a range of platforms such as dedicated iPhone and Android apps, international telephone voting line and via national SMS.