Culinary tours to boost tourism

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines needs to create tour packages centered on culinary tourism in order to further promote the sector, a tourism official said.

In a statement, Department of Tourism (DOT) director and MFM project director Verna Buensuceso said there is a need to come up with tour packages for the country’s culinary tourism sector as it is set to hold another edition of the Madrid Fusion Manila (MFM) in 2018.

Last Friday, Tourism Secretary Wanda Tulfo-Teo, along with DOT Undersecretary Benito Bengzon Jr., signed the agreement for the MFM 2018 with Lourdes Plana of Foro de Debate, Iñigo Iribarnegaray of Vocento, organizers of the event.

The MFM is the first and only Asian edition of Madrid Fusión, the most important gastronomy event in the world, celebrated annually in Madrid, Spain since 2003.

With the event slated to run on its fourth year in 2018, Buensuceso emphasized that the previous editions of the MFM focused on establishing the Philippines as a center of gastronomy.

Foreign travel and tour operators met with Filipino counterparts during the Culinary Tourism Travel Exchange, an added feature of MFM 2017, to discuss collaborations and partnerships on culinary tour programs.

“We want to have more buyers and tour operators abroad coming for the promotion of Philippine culinary and farm tourism next year,” Buensuceso explained.