With the rising popularity of travel shows and travel vlogging, not to mention the regular sharing of videos and photos on social media, it only takes an internet connection for anyone to see various sights and tourist attractions all over the world. And while one can virtually gain familiarity with various tastes and dishes from all over the world, nothing beats savoring the actual thing bite by bite.
As travel has become more accessible, gastronomy tourism has become a major driver for travel among tourists, with the World Food Travel Association reporting that around 80 percent of travelers research food and drink while visiting a destination and classifies over half of all travelers as “culinary travelers.”
Further, according to a 2023 report by Booking.com, 34 percent of travelers prioritize restaurants and dining experiences, viewing them as gateways to understanding local traditions and lifestyles.
Recognizing travelers’ growing interest in food and the opportunities that gastronomy holds in sustainable socio-economic development, cultural exchange, and well-being, the United Nations (UN) Tourism will organize the inaugural UN Tourism Regional Forum on Gastronomy Tourism for Asia and the Pacific, alongside the 36th UN Tourism Joint Commission Meeting for East Asia and the Pacific and Commission for South Asia from 26-28 June 2024 in Cebu, Philippines.
Hosted by the Philippines through its Department of Tourism (DOT), this highly anticipated event will be held at Shangri-La Mactan in Cebu City from 26-27 June 2024, while the 36th UN Tourism Joint Commission Meeting for East Asia and the Pacific and Commission for South Asia is scheduled on 28 June 2024 at Sheraton Mactan.
The event is expected to gather some 300 attendees including ministers from UN member-states, affiliate members, and tourism stakeholders from international organizations to exchange knowledge and best tourism practices in the Pacific, East, and South Asia regions.
Philippine Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco expressed the DOT and stakeholders’ readiness to host the preeminent UN Tourism events, highlighting the country’s hosting as a perfect opportunity for the Philippines to showcase its culinary treasures on a global stage.
“As Chair of the UN Tourism Commission for East Asia and the Pacific, the Philippines commits fully to leveraging the region’s strategic position to promote a range of initiatives that will benefit not only our country but also our neighbors, particularly, its rich and diverse gastronomy tourism portfolio. With only a few weeks left until the country’s historic hosting of the UN Tourism Regional Forum on Gastronomy Tourism for Asia and the Pacific, we are closely working with our partners to ensure that our forum delegates coming from all over the world will be able to immerse deep in our rich culinary traditions, and treated with nothing less than the warm hospitality that Filipinos are known for all over the world,” Secretary Frasco said.
According to the tourism chief, the Philippines could not be a more fitting host country for the event, with the growing popularity of Filipino food across the world.
Future Market Insights valued the Philippine gastronomy tourism market at $5.4 billion in 2022 and it has been projected a compounded growth annually at 14.7 percent over the next decade. Iconic Filipino dishes such as our braised pork and chicken dish ‘adobo,’ tamarind-based sour soup ‘sinigang,’ and the ever-popular open fire-roasted ‘lechon’ and ‘sisig’ have earned praise from known food journalists in the past. For instance, the late chef and TV host Anthony Bourdain, while dining in Cebu, branded lechon the “best pig ever” and declared Pampanga’s sizzling pork medley sisig as “perfectly positioned to win the hearts and minds of the world as a whole.” Food critic Andrew Zimmern, meanwhile, has gone on record to declare Filipino food as “the next big thing” in the US as early as 2017.
