The Department of Tourism (DOT) marked another milestone with the twin launch of Salo-Salo: Philippine Experience Food and Gastronomy Tourism and the Market Tourism Development Plan-further highlighting food and gastronomy as a key pillar of the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) 2023-2028.
“The Filipino story has always begun at the table. Long before tourism routes and runways, beforeguidebooks and global rankings, there was food shared between neighbors. Family recipes passedon across generations, harvests offered with open hands. This is where our culture lives and thrives. In the everyday act of cooking, serving, feeding, and gathering in the sacred tradition of Salo-Salo. Today, the Department of Tourism affirms that truth with action,” said Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco during the opening ceremony held at Lakbay Museo in Manila.
“The Filipino story has always begun at the table.”
“We launched the Food and Gastronomy Tourism Roadmap and Market Tourism ProductDevelopment Program, not as slogans but as strategies-designed to deliver work, build pride, andposition Filipino culinary culture where it belongs, at the center of national and regionaldevelopment in the eyes of the world,” Frasco added.
The launch reflects the DOT’s full institutional commitment to advancing culinary tourism as a driver of national and local development.
“For many years, the idea of elevating Filipino cuisine as a pillar of tourism was never fullyrealized.”
“For many years, the idea of elevating Filipino cuisine as a pillar of tourism was never fully realized. And it is only in recent times with the help of our dedicated partners across the country that we arefinally seeing all of these aspirations become concrete programs,” she noted.
The Salo-Salo: Philippine Experience Food and Gastronomy Tourism program is designed to position Filipino cuisine at the heart of Philippine tourism.
It aims to guide public and private stakeholders in developing food and gastronomy tourism, foster deeper appreciation of Filipino gastronomy both locally and globally, support storytelling that reflects the cultural diversity of Filipino communities, and contribute to a distinctive and sustainable tourism identity for the Philippines.
Alongside this, the DOT officially launched Market Tourism as a new sub-product of Food and Gastronomy Tourism.
Through its development modules, the program will empower stakeholders to rediscover local markets, catalog unique products, design curated tour routes, create immersive and interactive experiences, and build compelling narratives for visitors.
These modules aim to equip local tourism players with the tools to transform traditional public markets into vibrant tourist destinations.
These initiatives follow recent milestones that further strengthen the Philippines’ standing in global culinary tourism.
These include the arrival of the prestigious Michelin Guide in the country and the successful hosting of the UN Tourism Regional Forum on Gastronomy Tourism for Asia and the Pacific in Cebu, which highlighted the Philippines’ leadership in tourism development.
The country is also set to host Terra Madre Asia-Pacific in Bacolod-a major event that will spotlight sustainable food systems and celebrate local ingredients across the region.
With these efforts, the DOT reaffirms its full support for food and gastronomy tourism-transforming it from vision into national commitment and bringing the rich flavors of the Philippines to the global stage.
