UNITED Nations (UN) Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Polikashvili formally opened the first ever UN Tourism Regional Forum on Gastronomy held in the historic Lapu-Lapu City in Cebu, Wednesday (June 26).
In his speech, the Secretary General lauded the leadership of Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco for hosting the inaugural event, noting the warm welcome he received on his first visit to Cebu.
“This event here is a historical day because we are celebrating the first time-ever gastronomy forum in the region, and it’s not only gastronomy, it’s culture,” he said.
Polikashvili said that under his helm, he wants to leave a legacy to the organization and among his proposals is to establish an educational gastronomy center in the Philippines, particularly in Cebu as the country hosts the prestigious event for the first time.
“We know that education is the top priority for your tourists and we will support this initiative to help the progress of UN Tourism,” he said.
During the press conference, Secretary Frasco warmly accepted the request of the UN official, emphasizing how supportive the current administration is to the initiatives of the DOT.
“If I may, Secretary General, allow me now, in public, to confirm the Philippines’ acceptance of all the United Nations Tourism, Gastronomy and Education Academy or Institute. And we are certainly very open to any discussions whether it be funding, curriculum, and the like. We have the support of the national government and, importantly as well, we have the support of those that will help us in the flourishing of this academy, our chefs, not to mention the Basque Culinary Center,” she said.
According to Polikashvili, the idea came at the very same moment he was delivering his opening address as he felt very overwhelmed with the signature warmth of the Filipino hospitality as soon as he set foot to the country to grace the occasion.
The Basque Culinary Center, through Director of Masters and Courses Idoia Calleja, also welcomed the proposal.
“I am very happy to share our vision of education in gastronomy of the Philippine center which is important to elevate the level of chefs ability to work with a lot of sectors and to promote gastronomy,” she said.
“We will be very pleased to collaborate in this new center if it comes into reality,” she added.
The inaugural UN gastronomy forum hosted by the Philippines gathered some 400 participants from over 40-member states.
The hosting comes on the heels of the election of the Philippines, represented by Secretary Frasco, as Vice President of the 25th General Assembly of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)–now known as UN Tourism—during the 55th Meeting of the UNWTO Regional Commission for East Asia and the Pacific held in Cambodia last June 16, 2023. The last time the Philippines held this position was in 1999 or 24 years ago.
Editor’s Note: This article has been sourced from the Department of Tourism – Philippines Facebook Page.
