LOCAL crafts will be showcased in time for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) meetings as the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) 7 is slated to open a pop-up Go Lokal store next month in a resort in Panglao, Bohol.
The information came yesterday from DTI 7 Director Asteria Caberte, who shared that the pop-up store, which will showcase regional products, will be displayed inside the Hennan Resort from April 18 to 22 during the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiation for Hong Kong and the Asean bloc.
Caberte said DTI is yet to finalize the products that are to be showcased, but she said they must be “top-quality” products at reasonable price points.
Supporting MSMEs
Go Lokal is a public-private collaboration between DTI and local retailer partners.
It serves as an incubation, marketing, and branding platform for the best of Philippine micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) products, including next generation One Town One Product (OTOP) offerings.
The Bohol Provincial Government earlier said that there will be 200 delegates for the week-long Asean meeting.
In addition, each delegate will receive a handcrafted brass tarsier made by Arden Classic Inc, a Mactan-based exporter, said Caberte.
Meanwhile, for the Cebu meetings, Caberte said each delegate will receive a vase from Bon-ace Fashion Tools Inc. About 500 delegates are expected.
Cebu will host a series of financial meetings from April 3 to 7 at a resort in Mactan.
The Deparment of Tourism (DOT) is also set to organize a welcome dinner for the delegates, for the meetings hosted by the Department of Finance and Department of National Defense in Chateau by the Sea and Radisson Blu, respectively.
DOT said it will also organize an arts and crafts tour and Cebu historical tour for the delegates.
The series of Asean meetings in Cebu and Bohol are expected to support tourism in these provinces and boost retail spending, said Caberte.