PHILIPPINES HIGHLIGHTS GASTRONOMY TOURISM INITIATIVES AT UN TOURISM WORLD FORUM IN BAHRAIN

MANAMA, BAHRAIN – Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco led the Philippine delegation to the 9th UN Tourism World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism, held on November 18-19, 2024, at Exhibition World Bahrain. Secretary Frasco highlighted the Philippines’ robust policy framework and innovative initiatives that harness gastronomy’s potential to drive tourism development.

In the high-level session titled “Shaping Policies for Advancing Gastronomy Tourism,” Secretary Frasco joined Bahrain’s Minister of Tourism Fatima bint Jaffar Al Sairafi, and Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister of International Affairs Sultan AlMusallam, with the discussion moderated by UN Tourism Director of Market Intelligence, Policies, and Competitiveness Sandra Carvao.

“In the Philippines, gastronomy is embedded in our national strategy, by way of our National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP), which our President approved at the beginning of his administration. By way of this plan, we have made deliberate and focused approaches towards developing gastronomy,” Secretary Frasco shared.

The DOT chief spotlighted the Philippines’ successful hosting of the inaugural UN Tourism Regional Forum on Gastronomy Tourism for Asia and the Pacific in Cebu, a milestone highlighting the country’s role in regional gastronomy tourism. Reflecting on this historic event, she added: “We are pleased and very happy to welcome delegates from all over the world to the UN Tourism Regional Gastronomy Forum. We are grateful, both to UN Tourism, especially to Secretary-General Zurab (Pololikashvili), as well as the Basque Culinary Center, for providing the Philippines a platform on which to have this conversation that resulted in the Cebu Call to Action on Gastronomy Tourism—a framework for the development of gastronomy tourism in Asia and the Pacific, which prioritizes, first and foremost, coming up with policies and strategies to ensure that gastronomy tourism is developed in a manner that is not singular only in one country, but is regional.”

In his remarks during the forum’s opening ceremonies, UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili praised the Philippines’ leadership, saying:  “I’m very happy to see our dear Minister from (the) Philippines, dear Christina. It’s my honor. It’s our pleasure. Your presence here, because you are doing a lot for (the) tourism industry, not (just) for your country, (but also) for all regions and for our organization.” 

The 12-point Cebu Call to Action supports inclusive growth by addressing the entire tourism value chain, with a focus on uplifting small and medium enterprises, farmers, fisherfolk, cooks, and chefs.

“This Call to Action provides an impetus for supporting gastronomy tourism in a manner that increases the value proposition of destinations. We attached gastronomy tourism to every experience that is had in the destination, knowing fully well that over 54% actually use gastronomy as one of the reasons for travel. Domestically, in the Philippines, it ranks as the number two reason for travel across our nation,” she added.

Under its Love the Philippines campaign, gastronomy has become a vital pillar in positioning the country as a top global destination. Flagship initiatives, such as the Philippine Experience: Heritage, Culture, and Arts Caravan, integrate gastronomy into tourism offerings through its key component, ‘Salu-salo,’ where tourists and tourism stakeholders are introduced to the local foods of each destination.

Recent accomplishments further highlight the Philippines’ growing recognition in gastronomy tourism. Iloilo City earned the title of UNESCO Creative City for Gastronomy in 2023, while Bacolod City became Asia’s official Slow Food hub and is set to host Terra Madre Asia Pacific in 2025. Angeles City in Pampanga was named Asia’s Best Emerging Culinary City Destination 2024 by the World Culinary Awards.

Notable individuals also contribute to this success, including UN Tourism Gastronomy Ambassador Margarita Forés and author Klang Garcia, whose book “Philippine Food Holidays” won the Gourmand Award for Best Food Tourism Book in the World in 2023.

“The future is bright for Gastronomy Tourism in the Philippines, especially that food is a representation of our history; it reflects our indigenous peoples, [history], as well as the various influences that have come into our country in many, many centuries, to include the Spanish, the Chinese, the Americans, the Islamic influence in the country, and all of these, have resulted in such a vast diversity in our regional cuisines. And so, the effort on the part of the Department of Tourism has been to bring attention to our dishes across the country that vary from one island to another while, at the same time, continuing to support the Filipino dishes that have come to be loved, known worldwide, such as our sinigang, our adobo, our lechon, and to continue to encourage more cities in the Philippines, our municipalities, to consider Gastronomy Tourism as a value proposition for their destination,” Secretary Frasco said.

Organized by UN Tourism, and its Affiliate Member, the Basque Culinary Center (BCC), in collaboration with the Government of Bahrain, the Forum carries the theme, “Gastronomy Tourism: A Driver of Economic Diversification and Inclusion.” Held for the first time in the Middle East, the two-day event brought together global leaders, policymakers, industry experts, and renowned chefs to explore how gastronomy tourism enhances destination branding and fosters innovative practices worldwide.

Maximizing her official visit to Bahrain, Secretary Frasco engaged in a bilateral meeting with Minister Al Sairafi to discuss possible collaborations in terms of boosting air connectivity to augment the current Bahrain to Manila flights and to include flights to Cebu, joint promotions of islands, exchange of tourism professionals, mutual growth in meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE), enticing tourism investments, tourism and hospitality education, and cultural heritage.

Secretary Frasco proposed the execution of an updated Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to expand to more measures of cooperation on tourism development. The two countries had previously signed an agreement in 2003.

Minister Al Sairafi welcomed the idea, saying, “I believe that the MOU will put the silver lining for our cooperation, and I’m so happy that you are here in the Kingdom of Bahrain so that we could start discussing ways that we can collaborate.”

The DOT chief also held discussions with UN Tourism Secretary-General Pololikashvili on the proposal to establish an International Tourism Academy in Cebu, a project first announced by the UN Tourism Secretary-General during the Philippines’ hosting of the UN Tourism Regional Forum on Gastronomy Tourism for Asia and the Pacific earlier this year.

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