THE Department of Tourism (DOT) is capitalizing not only on beaches and tourists destinations as it also aims to promote the country as the next shopping destination in Asia with its ongoing partnership with SM Supermalls.

This as the “Malling is More Fun in the Philippines” campaign was formally launched at SM City Pampanga here early this week, this time focusing on the many food attractions inside that mall as well as Pampanga’s unique culinary traditions.

The launching featured cooking demos and presentations by Kapampangan chef Lilian Boromeo with a whole plethora of Kapampangan dishes exhibited to the public. The program aimed to promote the mall as a tourism destination for food enthusiasts.

SM City Pampanga has a host of homegrown restaurants serving Kapampangan cuisine as well as other restaurants catering to a wide variety of tastes from Asian to continental cooking. A tourist can also shop after visiting the many food establishments inside the biggest mall outside Metro Manila.

In 2017, shopping was the number one activity of tourists visiting the country, with 51.60 percent of visitors hitting the stores according to DOT.

Shopping is also where tourists spend money, amounting to $20.90 of the 2017 average daily expenditure per capita of $125.65.