THE Hotel and Restaurant Association of Baguio(HRAB) opened Friday morning at Camp John Hay the 13th Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism (HRT) Week with the theme, “Agree to Agri: Putting our Best Food Forward.”
For this year’s HRT Week, HRAB is hosting the 10th National Food Showdown themed “Bringing the Farm to the table” that will bring the winners from the Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao regional competitions in a culinary battle.
Leading the ribbon–cutting of the HRT Week were Department of Tourism Undersecretary Kat De Castro and Presidential Communications Office Assistant Secretary Ana Marie Banaag. They were joined by Mayor Mauricio Domogan and HRAB officials headed by chairman emeritus lawyer Moises Cating and president Anthony De Leon.
De Castro and Banaag, in their respective messages, lauded HRAB and the National Food Showdown for featuring local agricultural products in their competitions, as well as in promoting the hotel and restaurant and tourism sector.
“We are exceedingly glad that we have the support of the hotel and restaurant sector in the tourism department’s efforts to attract tourists, local and international,” De Castro said.
De Castro also shared in line with President Rodrigo Duterte's selfless public service, the government is happy to partner with all sectors in bringing in an inclusive tourism development program.
"We are all in this together, as it takes a whole community, to provide a meaningful, unforgettable and exciting tourism experiences to our international and domestic guests," she added.
Banaag, meanwhile, outlined the theme “Bringing farm to the table” is very timely and appropriate as it is aligned to President Duterte’s 10 – point Socio Economic Agenda, especially on the promotion of rural and value chain development that gears toward increasing agricultural and rural enterprise productivity as well as rural tourism.
“That is exactly what you are promoting here. We salute your effort to bring the country’s local agricultural produce into the world’s culinary spotlight through your various competitions for professionals and students nationwide,” Banaag stressed.
The HRT Week competitions will be held simultaneously at the CAP Convention and Cultural Center inside Camp John Hay and the Baguio Convention Center.
An annual event of HRAB, the HRT Week was conceptualized to spur Baguio’s tourism during the rainy season aside from promoting the hotel and restaurant sector. (Carlito Dar/PIA CAR)