First UN Tourism Regional Forum on Gastronomy Tourism for Asia and the Pacific launches in Cebu

CEBU, Philippines — A grand display of Cebu's sights, sounds and taste welcomed over 500 global delegates of the inaugural UN Tourism Regional Forum on Gastronomy Tourism for Asia and the Pacific as the forum formally opened recently at The Marquee at Shangri-La Mactan.

Co-organized by the UN Tourism, Basque Culinary Center and the Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT), the event seeks to become a platform to celebrate the power of gastronomy tourism by bringing together destinations and international experts in an exchange of knowledge and best practices. This aims to fully harness the transformative power of gastronomy tourism, especially its benefits to local communities and the environment.

Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco, UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili, Basque Culinary Center (BCC) of Spain director of masters and courses Idoia Calleja, Lapu-Lapu City Lone District Representative Ma. Cynthia King Chan, Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan, UN Tourism Ambassador for Gastronomy Tourism chef Vicky Cheng of VEA Restaurant in Hong Kong, and foreign dignitaries led the ceremonial pouring of rice into a giant pusô, a rice cake made by boiling rice in a woven pouch of palm leaves. The delicacy serves as a major culinary pride of Cebuanos—one of the diverse gastronomic offerings that can be found in the Philippines.

In addition to the UN Tourism Regional Forum on Gastronomy Tourism for Asia and the Pacific, the Philippines is hosting the 36th Joint Commission Meeting of the Commission for East Asia and the Pacific and the Commission for South Asia (CAP-CSA) on June 28.

The back-to-back meetings invite delegates from CAP-CSA countries, associate members, affiliate members, officials and strategic partners of UN Tourism, ministers as well as representatives of diplomatic corps, academe, gastronomy stakeholders, national and local government officials, legislators, media, among others, from more than 40 countries, including Afghanistan, Argentina, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cameroon, Chile, China, Fiji, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Lao PDR, Macao, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Timor Leste, United Arab Emirates, the US and Vietnam.

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