Cebu City played host to the inaugural UN Tourism Regional Forum on Gastronomy Tourism for Asia and the Pacific on June 26, 2024.
The Philippines held the honor of hosting the inaugural event after being elected chair of the Commission for East Asia and the Pacific during the 55th Meeting of the UN World Tourism Organization Regional Commission last year.
“We’re excited to celebrate gastronomy, develop and promote tourism and cultivate a symbiotic relationship between the various sectors for mutual success,” said Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco.
Co-organized by the Department of Tourism (DOT), the UNWTO and the Basque Culinary Center, the forum served as a platform to celebrate gastronomy tourism.
It brought together international experts and destinations to share knowledge and best practices, aiming to harness the transformative potential of this sector for local communities and the environment.
More than 600 delegates from UN member states, affiliate members and tourism stakeholders gathered for the event. UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili cited the Philippines’ leadership and proposed establishing an educational gastronomy center in Cebu.
“This event here is a historical day because we are celebrating the first time-ever gastronomy forum in the region, and it’s not only gastronomy, it’s culture. We know that education is the top priority for your tourists, and we will support this initiative to help the progress of UN Tourism,” he said.
Frasco said Cebu’s rich history and cultural heritage make it a “fitting venue” for the forum. She highlighted the country’s diverse culinary influences, from Spanish and Chinese to American, which have combined with the Malay heritage and indigenous origins to define Filipino cuisine.
“Filipino cuisine is a diverse tapestry of flavors, reflecting regional characteristics from across our beautiful archipelago of 7,641 islands. From the globally renowned Cebu lechon and the comforting tastes of adobo and sinigang to Mindanao’s distinctive dishes like curacha, pastil, our culinary heritage is rich and varied. Through our food, we tell the story of the Filipino. We narrate the victories of our people, our homeland, our history,” Frasco said.
