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The tourism industry is growing robustly in the Philippines. Tourist arrivals continue to grow and tourist spending amounted to over a billion pesos just for the first quarter of 2008 alone. Korea is now the primary source of tourists, followed by the United States. The length of stay and spending levels rose, despite recession, accessibility issues, safety and health concerns and competition from similar tropical destinations.
A major factor is the Department of Tourism’s efforts to reinvent the Philippines and position the country in new and innovative ways to attract more tourists. One of these is the culinary tourism project known as the Kulinarya Food Trips.
Dubbed as Kulinarya Filipina, the program introduces Philippine flavors to domestic and international tourists to promote the country as a culinary destination. Travelers practically eat their way around the country as they visit destinations that are well-known for their food. Each region has its own culinary treasure to boast. For instance, Bicol is known for its pili delicacies and spicy food cooked in coconut milk such as laing and the Bicol Express. Bulacan is famous for its sweets, while Cebu boasts of lechon and otap. On the other hand, Antipolo is popularly known for its suman, kasoy and mangga and Ilocos for its longganisa and pinakbet. Iloilo is popular for its pancit molo and la paz batchoy. Davao is famous for its inihaw na panga and exotic fruits like durian, pomelo, mangosteen” and rambutan while Zamboanga serves some of the most delicious prawns, crabs, lobsters and curacha.
First launched in 2005, the culinary tourism project now offers 13 varieties of food trips. Food samplings - a combination of breakfast, lunch, dinner and in-between snacks- are the centerpiece of each tour. These are enhanced by sight-seeing and photo opportunities of the locale’s cultural and natural attractions. There are live cooking demonstrations offering a rare opportunity to learn from master chefs and keepers of time-honored family recipes. These informal sessions are often conducted in ancestral homes, remaining true to the Filipino brand of hospitality. Many trips also involve a visit to the local market, farm or food processing plant, giving insight to the ingredients that make up the dish. Pasalubong shopping breaks allow one to fill up on special goodies to take home.
Day tours include Quezon Province, Batangas-Cavite, Pampanga-Bulacan and Binondo. Itineraries for Ilocos, Bicol, Cebu, Bohol, Negros Occidental, Iloilo, Boracay, Davao and Dakak take as much as three days and two nights. The DOT has accredited several major tour operators which offer the specialized packages.
Pampangueno historian and culinary master Lilia Borromeo give tourists a chance to bake San Nicholas cookies in her kitchen. Quezon Province pottery artist Ugu Bigyan opens his studio and dining area for morning snacks. Tourists also get the chance to meet the owners of the oldest recipes for La Paz batchoy and molo soup in Iloilo, as well as Sorsogon’s creator of sweetened pili nuts wrapped in leaves.
Recently, the DOT launched another ingredient to the successful program, a cookbook and food manual dubbed Kulinarya: A Guide to Philippine Cooking. Edited by food columnist Mikaela Fenix, the cook book is a collaboration of celebrated Filipino chefs Claude Tayag, Glenda Barreto, Myrna Segismundo, Jessie Sinsioco, Conrad Calalang and Margarita Fores.
