No less than First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos graced the Tourism Summit 2024 on Monday, aimed at highlighting the vast opportunities offered by the tourism industry to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Along with the First Lady, who opened the summit, were Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco and Go Negosyo chairperson Joey Concepcion who collaborated in conceptualizing the summit held at Ayala Malls by the Bay.

The event featured panel discussions, fireside chats, and inspirational talks by successful entrepreneurs in the tourism business and resource persons from the government and private sectors.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. sent his congratulations on the summit, as well as to the winners of the Inspiring Tourism Awards for serving the country through the promotion of Philippine tourism.

He said the awardees have served the country with their exceptional work and helped cultivate what it takes to give the Philippines an edge over other tourist destinations.

Unveiling the Philippine Tourism Agenda, Frasco prefaced her talk with the emerging trends prevailing in ASEAN tourism, where the Philippines occupies a prominent role as the lead country coordinator in crafting the post-2025 strategic tourism plan for the ASEAN nations.

She emphasized how President Marcos has put quality tourism front and center, prioritizing more meaningful connections and purpose-driven travel.

“That is why under the Marcos administration, the focus has been to spread tourism development to as many destinations as possible. And of course, while we are also focused on bringing in the warm bodies, we are also trying to ensure that we offer quality tourism services so that the tourists that come here stay, spend more, and come back again and again,” she added.

Frasco also ran through other trends in ASEAN, including wellness tourism and gastronomy.

Gastronomy in particular, according to Frasco, attracts food enthusiasts from all over the world, creating opportunities for local businesses, farmers, artisans, and the like. It stimulates jobs creation, promotes sustainable agriculture, and preserves culinary traditions that have been passed down through generations.

Further, she mentioned that gastronomy is part of the Philippine Experience Heritage Culture and Arts Caravan, identified as a priority tourism program under the National Tourism Development Plan 2023-2028, the country’s tourism roadmap.

“We are very pleased to announce that to bring Filipino food to the forefront of global consciousness, the Philippines is hosting the very first United Nations Tourism Forum for Asia-Pacific wherein we will be hosting tourism ministers from all over the world as well as highlighting the work of our world-renowned chefs and our regional chefs to really make the case for Filipino food to be at the forefront of Filipino tourism and the global preference of our travelers,” the Tourism chief said.

Frasco underscored the pivotal role of gastronomy in tourism development and as a catalyst for economic growth and cultural exchange in the Asia Pacific Region.

Frasco, Concepcion and the First Lady also presented the Inspiring Tourism Entrepreneurs Awards, recognizing outstanding Filipino enterprises with significant contributions to the development of the country’s tourism landscape.

They also presented a special citation to digital content creators and social media influencers for their role in promoting the country’s heritage, culture, cuisine and destinations.

Others who attended the summit included Michelle Ho, general manager of Klook Philippines and Thailand; Captain Stanley Ng, president and COO of Philippine Airlines; and Jeff Navarro, country manager, Visa Philippines, who all delved into the strategies and practices needed to make businesses thrive in the tourism industry in the Philippines.

They discussed emerging trends, challenges, and innovative solutions.