Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco met with Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas for a courtesy meeting at the mayor’s office.
This was held on the sidelines of the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) 2023-2028 rollout for the Visayas cluster recently.
During the meeting the two leaders discussed potential areas of collaboration including tourism infrastructure and routes development initiatives for Iloilo to attract more tourists to what is now recognized as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Creative City for Gastronomy.
“When we were deciding on the LGUs where we would hold the rollout, we found Iloilo, of course, to be the most appropriate venue.”
“When we were deciding on the LGUs where we would hold the rollout, we found Iloilo, of course, to be the most appropriate venue, especially considering the successes that you’ve had and the massive potential that the city and province have in terms of all the other components of tourism development that we see are being prioritized by the LGU. So, I come here with great admiration for all the initiatives and also with our collective congratulations for your recent designation as a UNESCO Creative City for Gastronomy,” Frasco told Treñas.
“It is a source of national pride for the country and we are very eager to work with you.”
“I’m sure it’s a source of pride for your city but it is also a source of national pride for the country and we are very eager to work with you,” the tourism chief added.
In 2023, the city earned the honor of being the first from the Philippines to be designated as the UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy.
It is now part of the 350 cities in more than 100 countries listed on the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) in the fields of crafts and folk arts, design, film, gastronomy, literature, media arts and music.
The tourism chief then extended the invitation to the mayor and his city council to attend the hosting of the Philippines to the first United Nations Tourism Regional Gastronomy Forum which will be held in Cebu in June this year as the Philippines also beefs up its gastronomy tourism portfolio.
For his part, the mayor also lauded the efforts of the DOT, saying that “programs of a city or a department can only be implemented successfully if you have good people.”
