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www.travelweekly-asia.com 17 OCTOBER 2019 D AY 2 TRAVEL WEEKLY ASIA I T B A S I A S H O W D A I L I E S 12 Taste the difference By Tara Sering The Philippines makes a play for a spot in the list of top dining destinations in Southeast Asia A s global interest in Filipino cuisine continues to grow, the Philippines' Department of Tourism (DOT) seizes the opportunity to give travellers more reason to explore the country beyond its white-sand beaches and the colourful street festivals. The recently launched "Eats. More fun in the Philippines" adds a food-themed focus to the wildly popular "More fun in the Philippines" tourism campaign and is in partnership with iconic Filipino fast food brand Jollibee. The initiative, ostensibly to meet agency targets for tourist arrivals this year, launched with a video promoting the varied flavours and dishes around the country. It features chefs JP Anglo and Jordan Andino, YouTube superstar and comedian Mikey Bustos and the Jollibee mascot as campaign ambassadors. The Philippines hopes to hit eight million visitors this year, and numbers posted nearing the midway mark are promising: as of June 2019, tourist arrivals were hovering at 3.5 million, up 9.76% from last year's figures. This has translated to roughly Php245 billion (US$12 billion) in receipts from international visitors during the first half of the year. Aside from an aggressive marketing push hinged on leisure spots such as seaside destinations and mountain retreats, adventure sports such as diving, and now, the culinary traditions and food offerings across the various regions of the Philippines, the DOT has also launched a bid to host the 24th Session of the United Nations World Travel Organization (UNWTO) General Assembly in 2021. The UNWTO is the United Nations' specialised agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism and counts 158 member states as well as over 500 affiliate members representing the private sector, educational institutions, tourism associations and tourism authorities. The General Assembly, which is staged every two years, draws thousands of delegates from around the world to the host city for meetings and plenary sessions. This year's 23rd General Assembly was held in St Petersburg, Russia. GREEN HAPPENINGS Cover more ground with a smaller carbon footprint The Department of Tourism (DOT), the Intramuros Administration (IA) and Grab Philippines forged a partnership to launch "GrabWheels", which makes available personal mobility devices (PMDs) for tourists to use when exploring the historic walled city. The initiative is in line with one of the DOT's key focus of sustainable tourism. Soak up the great outdoors National parks and eco-tourism sites are an important tourism pillar for central Luzon, and among the most popular destinations within driving distance of Manila is the Masungi Georeserve, a nature conservation area in Baras, Rizal, 47km east of the capital. On the southern end of the Sierra Madre mountain range, the park features a trekking course and lots of wildlife. The Juan Effect After a successful pilot rollout last year in Siargao, the surfing capital of the Philippines, Cebu Pacific's Juan Effect programme — in partnership with the DOT, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the local government and other tourism stakeholders — continues to enlist pledges to advocate for sustainable tourism. Travellers are encouraged to avoid single-use plastics and dispose of litter properly; local establishments, on the other hand, are enjoined to follow proper solid waste management practices. Agent's Take "[It will] be a progressive year from 2020 onwards. Foreign visitors will continue to rise in modest numbers, however domestic travellers recorded 97m trips in 2018 with tourism expenditure representing 25% of household consumption. "Domestic tourism will have double-digit growth in 2020. Local millennials are driving the growth, spending more trips in a year compared to older age groups, while Generation Z is keeping up with the pace. Social media is a huge factor in influencing more travels in different locations as they seek authentic experiences from food, culture, destination, adventure and local connections." – Cyndy Tan Jarabata, president, TAJARA Leisure and Hospitality Group The Philippines is adding a food focus to its tourism campaign with the launch of 'Eats. More fun in the Philippines'. CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES 3.4m 3,489,270 tourists came to the Philippines in the first five months of 2019 4.9m 4,952,392 people have shared the #itsmorefuninthe philippines as of Sept 20 245b 245 billion pesos in receipts from international visitors during 1H2019 HOT NUMBERS SOURCE: TOURISM.GOV.PH VISIT: BOOTH D05

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