CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- Food and all its other attractions and permutations will become part of Pampanga’s tourism program.
This, as the Provincial Tourism Council met over the weekend in a bid to streamline efforts and plans for Pampanga’s tourism. And with food as central to the experience for most tourists who visit the province, it was no surprise that Pampanga’s culinary strength would be included in the program.
Pampanga is considered as the country’s culinary capital and has a strong gastronomic tradition that has influenced Filipino cooking over the years. Pampanga is known for its wide food offerings with each town sporting its own signature dishes, confectionery delights and cooking traditions.
The Culinary Tourism Plan, which will become a component of the overall tourism agenda, aims to create awareness, and highlight the culinary expertise of Pampanga. The Pampanga Tourism Council wanted to bring in all aspects of Kapampangan tourism under one program.
“Tourism is like a house. ‘Yung landscape mo is tourism, and when it is nice, people would go in. If you fix the tourism sector, people will come here,” former Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Mina Gabor, who attended the event, said.
“We want to use the culinary tourism as the tip of the sphere, because this is the one that will really differentiate us from others. We have been known for decades and generations to be the culinary capital, and therefore, we must build on that strength, and we must ensure that this one will be further strengthened and institutionalized,” consultant on trade and investment Oliver Butalid, added.
Governor Dennis Pineda had earlier signed the Executive Order No. 33-2019 or the “Reconstitution of the Pampanga Provincial Tourism Council” which aims to form committees that will focus on tourism development in the province.
The said council is composed of committees which include culinary tourism, tourism products, events, heritage tourism, eco-tourism, trade and investments, faith-based tourism, and travel and tours.
Through the joint efforts of the said committees, various tourism-based development programs, projects, and activities will be prioritized to attract more tourists from all over the world.
Also in the event were the members of the Provincial Tourism Council, local chief executives, directors of national government agencies, public officials, and government employees.