The Philippine government on Wednesday formally launched a roadmap to position the country as a top food and gastronomy destination in Southeast Asia by 2029.

The Food and Gastronomy Tourism Strategic Framework and Roadmap 2024-2029 will help map out so-called “culinary zones” in key destinations such as Metro Manila, Pampanga, Cebu and Iloilo, among others.

It will also develop guidelines for food circuits across the country and help local governments curate travel routes, highlighting culinary diversity and local produce in these areas.

The roadmap will also cover the development of specific food and gastronomy tourism segments such as farm, factory, and palengke or market tours.

Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said this is the first time the government is incorporating food and gastronomy as a “central pillar” of the Philippines’ tourism strategy.

“This is a historic moment. For the first time, gastronomy has been formally incorporated in the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP), not as an afterthought, but as a central pillar of our tourism strategy,” she said during the roadmap launch in Parañaque City.

Frasco underscored the huge potential of Filipino cuisine that every region has to offer as a motivation to attract both locals and foreigners to travel around the country.

The DOT, in the same event, also introduced the training modules to fast-track the development of palengke or market tourism in the Philippines, a sub-product of the country’s broader food and gastronomy tourism product.

The modules outline an action plan to train and equip tourism stakeholders to transform local markets into tourist attractions.

Food and Gastronomy Tourism will be classified as a sub-product under Cultural Tourism in the 2023-2028 NTDP, alongside historical and cultural heritage; arts; living; pilgrimage; and creative tourism.

The DOT envisions gastronomy tourism in the Philippines to become an experience that goes beyond trying out Filipino dishes to include “uncovering the stories behind local ingredients, culinary traditions, and techniques.”

The government, it said, will develop this tourism product in a way that invites travelers to understand how centuries of trade, migration, colonization, and cultural exchange have shaped the country’s diverse food identity. (PNA)