ILOILO City was officially recognized as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) Creative City of Gastronomy in October 2023, joining 54 other new cities in the Unesco Creative Cities Network (UCCN) on October 31, 2023.
These cities were praised for their commitment to incorporating culture, creativity and innovative urban planning practices into their development strategies.
The Network has expanded to 350 cities across over 100 countries, covering seven creative fields: Craft and Folk Art, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Media Arts, and Music.
The city has expressed a strong desire to reapply after its initial attempt in 2021. The city has a long history of culinary creation, dating back to its pre-colonial days.
A significant trading port, Iloilo City boasts a diverse cuisine influenced by Chinese, Malay, and Spanish cultures. Iloilo City is known for its delicious dishes, such as La Paz Batchoy and Pancit Molo. New restaurants and food businesses have emerged, showcasing the city's rich culinary heritage and innovative dishes. Iloilo City is also home to a number of food festivals and events, especially during January's Dinagyang Festival, which attracts visitors from all over the world. In addition to its culinary excellence, Iloilo City is also committed to sustainable food practices.
Unesco Director-General Audrey Azoulay highlighted the crucial role of cities in global challenges and creativity, emphasizing the need for transformative investment in urban development on World Cities Day. On World Cities Day, October 31, 2023, Azoulay designated 55 cities to join the UCCN.
This categorizes the 55 new cities according to their respective creative fields in the UCCN.
Crafts and Folk Art:
- Bukhara (Uzbekistan)
- Castelo Branco (Portugal)
- Hoi An (Vietnam)
- Montecristi (Ecuador)
- Surakarta (Indonesia)
- Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia)
- Umngeni Howick (South Africa)
Design:
- Ashgabat (Turkmenistan)
- Cetinje (Montenegro)
- Chiang Rai (Thailand)
- Chongqing (China)
- Granada (Spain)
- Valencia (Spain)
Film:
- Asaba (Nigeria)
- Kathmandu (Nepal)
- Ouarzazate (Morocco)
- Penedo (Brazil)
- Vicente Lopez (Argentina)
Gastronomy:
- Battambang (Cambodia)
- Chaozhou (China)
- Concepción (Chile)
- Fribourg (Switzerland)
- Gangneung (South Korea)
- Herakleion (Greece)
- Iloilo City (Philippines)
- Nkongsamba (Cameroon)
Literature:
- Bremen (Germany)
- Buffalo City (South Africa)
- Hobart (Australia)
- Iasi (Romania)
- Kozhikode (India)
- Kutaisi (Georgia)
- Okayama (Japan)
- Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
- Taif (Saudi Arabia)
- Tukums (Latvia)
Media Arts:
- Caen (France)
- Casablanca (Morocco)
- Novi Sad (Serbia)
- Oulu (Finland)
Music:
- Banja Luka (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
- Bissau (Guinea-Bissau)
- Bolzano (Italy)
- Bydgoszcz (Poland)
- Caracas (Venezuela)
- Concepción (Chile)
- Da Lat (Vietnam)
- Gwalior (India)
- Ipoh (Malaysia)
- Mexicali (Mexico)
- Montreux (Switzerland)
- Şanlıurfa (Turkey)
- Suphanburi (Thailand)
- Toulouse (France)
- Varaždin (Croatia)
- Veliky Novgorod (Russia)
The newly designated Creative Cities are invited to the 2024 UCCN Annual Conference in Braga, Portugal, focusing on "Bringing Youth to the table for the next decade."
In a statement, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry P. Treñas extended his heartfelt congratulations to Iloilo City and its resilient residents.
"I am very happy for the recent wins of the city," Treñas said. "These awards are results of teamwork of our hardworking city officials and employees and consultants. Congratulations to Iloilo City and the Ilonggos!"
The "Most Business-Friendly Highly Urbanized City outside NCR" award from the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) National underlines the city's commitment to fostering a conducive environment for businesses to thrive.
On the contrary, the “Unesco Creative City for Gastronomy” award stresses the city’s culinary heritage and its efforts to conserve and promote gastronomic traditions.
The food culture of Iloilo City has earned international praise and has further entrenched the city as a Philippine culinary capital. (SunStar Philippines)