Thursday, October 17, 2024
The Philippine Division of Tourism (DOT) took heart stage on the twenty fourth World Journey & Tourism Council (WTTC) World Summit, with Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco championing the nation’s rising affect in international gastronomy tourism. Throughout a high-profile panel session titled “What is the Vintage?: The Role of Food & Wine Tourism,” Frasco shared insights into how the Philippines has positioned its various culinary panorama as a central pillar of tourism development, each domestically and internationally.
Frasco’s participation alongside outstanding figures like David Burgess, CEO of Miles Partnership, and Dale Tilbrook, proprietor of Dale Tilbrook Experiences, emphasised the strategic position that meals performs in shaping the cultural identification and tourism enchantment of countries. The panel, moderated by Anita Mendiratta, CEO of AM&A, showcased how gastronomy tourism has advanced right into a key driver for vacation spot advertising and marketing.
Gastronomy as a Pillar of Filipino Identification
Throughout her handle, Secretary Frasco highlighted that meals is an intrinsic a part of Filipino hospitality and identification. She famous that within the Philippines, greetings typically start with the query, “Have you eaten?” underscoring the central position meals performs in Filipino tradition. “Food is our love language,” Frasco remarked, mentioning that the Philippines’ large number of regional cuisines is reflective of the nation’s various cultural heritage.
Frasco additionally used the platform to debate the Cebu Name to Motion on Gastronomy Tourism, a key initiative that emerged from the UN Tourism Regional Discussion board on Gastronomy Tourism, hosted by the Philippines in June 2024. The discussion board, which gathered over 600 delegates from 43 international locations, solidified the Philippines’ management position in selling meals tourism within the Asia-Pacific area. The Cebu Name to Motion is now a blueprint for sustainable gastronomy tourism improvement within the area, aimed toward benefiting native communities, producers, and farmers.
The Philippines on the World Culinary Map
Frasco highlighted the Philippines’ rising recognition within the international culinary scene, citing Angeles Metropolis’s current honor as Asia’s Finest Rising Culinary Metropolis on the World Culinary Awards, and Bacolod Metropolis being named the Sluggish Meals Hub for Asia-Pacific. Iloilo Metropolis’s designation as a UNESCO Artistic Metropolis for Gastronomy in 2022 additional cemented the nation’s popularity as a must-visit culinary vacation spot.
“These recognitions underscore our commitment to promoting food tourism as a means of supporting local communities and fostering sustainable tourism,” Frasco stated. She additionally emphasised the position of public-private partnerships in driving these initiatives, noting that collaboration between the federal government, personal sector, and native stakeholders is essential to making sure that meals tourism advantages everybody concerned within the provide chain, from farmers and artisans to cooks and restaurateurs.
A Deal with Inclusivity and Sustainability
Frasco revealed that the Philippine DOT is engaged on complete roadmaps to information the nation’s improvement as a meals and gastronomy tourism hub. These roadmaps are a part of broader efforts to advertise culture-based tourism, aligning with the nationwide methods for artistic and cultural tourism. In keeping with Frasco, the imaginative and prescient is to place the Philippines as a high meals vacation spot in Asia, leveraging its culinary range and domestically produced components.
Frasco additionally careworn the significance of inclusivity within the nation’s tourism plans. She highlighted ongoing consultations with areas and stakeholders to make sure that the event of gastronomy tourism is helpful not only for vacationers but additionally for native communities, together with farmers, producers, and artisans.
Showcasing Filipino Delicacies
Throughout the summit, Frasco highlighted iconic Filipino dishes, together with kinilaw, a standard dish created from recent seafood marinated in vinegar or souring brokers like calamansi, batwan, and santol. She defined how this dish, and its many regional variations, embodies the Philippines’ wealthy culinary traditions and bountiful pure sources. “Kinilaw represents the freshness of our local produce and the abundance of our marine resources,” Frasco stated.
The WTTC World Summit, held below the theme “Ancient Land; New Perspectives,” supplied a platform for international leaders in journey and tourism to discover revolutionary methods to advertise their locations. Frasco’s participation underscored the Philippines’ rising position on the earth of meals tourism, because the nation continues to rise as a key participant within the worldwide tourism scene.
Trying Forward
The Philippines’ participation within the WTTC World Summit marks a big step in its efforts to advertise itself as a premier vacation spot for meals tourism. With a rising variety of culinary accolades and strategic initiatives just like the Cebu Name to Motion, the nation is poised to grow to be a hub for gastronomy fans from world wide.
Frasco concluded her speech by inviting international vacationers to go to the Philippines, not only for its seashores and islands but additionally to expertise its wealthy culinary heritage. “We look forward to welcoming you to our shores, where you can enjoy our diverse flavors while being surrounded by our breathtaking landscapes,” she stated.
