DoT promotes Filipino cuisine in Canadian travel expo

The Department of Tourism (DoT) has recently given Canadians a taste of Filipino cuisine in the EAT! Vancouver World Culinary Travel Expo recently held at the BC Place Stadium in Vancouver , Canada .

DoT’s participation in the annual Canadian culinary travel expo is part of its bid to introduce and promote the Philippines as a competitive culinary and travel destination.

According to DoT Secretary Ace Durano, “We are upbeat about the prospects of seeing the Philippines becoming one of the world’s top culinary destinations, considering the unique and varied cuisine it can offer to foreign visitors.”

“Aside from the country’s 7,107 islands popular for its diverse natural and man-made attractions, Philippine cuisine remains one of the country’s best-kept secret, relatively unknown in many parts of the world,” adds Durano.

Event-goers flocked to the Philippine Culinary Booth Pavilion where they got the chance to browse holiday destinations in the country as well as its culinary offerings.

Among the other countries which participated in the event, the Philippines was a favorite among those who came to see the expo from Vancouver and other cities and town in the province of British Columbia .

Canadians who visited the Philippine booth also gathered tour programs and promotional materials of Travel Café Philippines , which pique these guests’ interest in the Filipino restaurant’s special dishes and premium coffee. A favorite item was Travel Café Philippines ’ recipe booklet which contains the ingredients and procedures to cook some of the country’s most popular dishes like adobo and kare-kare.

A pioneering “branding initiative” for tourism promotions of the Philippine Department of Tourism, Travel Café Philippines is where foreign and local tourists alike can enjoy genuine Pinoy cuisine and coffee, and travel a booking around the country.

Undersecretary for Tourism Planning and Promotion Eduardo Jarque Jr. said, “A part of the Philippine Cultural Tourism Program, Culinary Tourism hopes to introduce the Philippine flavors to the domestic and international scene and aims to promote the country as a culinary destination.”

After all, said Jarque, the rich culture of the Philippines evident is reflected in the country’s cuisine.

The guests were also treated to numerous give-away items including promotional shopping bags and luggage tags, and mouse pads with photos of the country’s top tourist destinations, as well as the popular mango-tamarind candy made and exported from Cebu City .

Hundreds of guests also queued to sign up for raffle items consisting of a Goldilocks Bakeshop gift basket consisting of popular delicacies and pastries like polvoron, pili tart, and mammon, and Travel Café’s box of the country’s exotic coffee beans such as the Southern Tagalog’s Barako, Cordillera Mountain’s Benguet Brew, and Mt. Matutum’s Arabica of Mindanao. Drawing the lucky winners of the raffle were Vice Consul Melanie Rita Balisi Diano of Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver and director Rene De Los Santos of DoT San Francisco .

Culinary tour packages to Philippine destinations which are gaining popularity for its diverse and unique culinary products and cuisines are currently being offered.