MANILA — The Department of Tourism (DOT) lauds the winners of this year’s ASEAN Tourism Awards, with Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco noting that they have championed not just the Department’s set of standards for the local tourism industry but the whole region as well.
In an awarding ceremony held in Vientiane, Laos on the sidelines of the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) 2024, three Philippine cities and 21 outstanding tourism stakeholders from the Philippines were recognized during the ASEAN Tourism Standard Awards.
The tourism chief personally handed over the plaques to the awardees.
The cities of Baguio in Benguet, Ilagan in Isabela, and Tabuk in Kalinga were awarded as the ASEAN Clean Tourist City. These are the areas where the flow of visitors and where cultural, natural and/or man-made attractions exist, according to ASEAN Tourism Standards.
Prime properties Pearl Farm Beach Resort, Club Paradise Palawan, Bohol Beach Club, Seda Nuvali, and The Forest Lodge at Camp John Hay won the ASEAN Green Hotel Award, an accolade that recognizes hotel industry players whose operations are based on the achievement of sustainable tourism through environment-friendly principles, human resource development, resource consumption reduction, and local community involvement.
Fifteen Philippine venues were also recognized for the ASEAN Meeting, Incentive, Convention, Exhibition (MICE) Venue Awards. This specific accolade is granted to physical spaces with quality facilities and impressive services, designed and provided for MICE activities with purposes for meetings, exhibitions, and events. According to ASEAN, the major criteria for the awards encompass the standards of physical aspects, venue management, and people working within venues that competitively meet the requirements of MICE travelers.
It is divided into three categories: room, exhibition venue, and event venue category.
Properties bai Hotel Cebu, Clark Marriott Hotel, Hilton Clark Sun Valley Resort, Princesa Garden Island Resort & Spa, Seda Hotel Nuvali won the meeting room category; World Trade Center Metro Manila (Manila Exposition Complex), SMX Convention Center Manila, Cordillera Convention Hall by Baguio Country Club, Isabela Convention Center (ICON), and Iloilo Convention Center won the exhibition hall category; and Palacio del Sur by Marcian Group, Jpark Island Resort & Waterpark Cebu, Infinity Garden by Baguio Country Club, CAP-John Hay Trade and Cultural Center, Princesa Garden Island Resort and Spa by Modern Asia, Inc. were named as the winners for the event venue category.
Meanwhile, Palawan-based property Daluyon Beach and Mountain Resort was named as a lead partner for “Enchanting Gastronomical Sabang Delights, Beach Forest and Caves” under the ASEAN Sustainable Tourism Awards.
During the ATF 2024 Philippine night hosted by DOT and its marketing arm Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), Secretary Frasco acknowledged all the winners present.
She emphasized the significant contributions of tourism stakeholders from the private sector to make the industry proper not just through revenue contributions but by employing millions of Filipinos.
“I extend my congratulations to all the winners of the ASEAN Tourism Awards, and I extend, especially my heartfelt congratulations, to my fellow Filipinos—our Filipino tourism establishments—who managed to clinch these most prestigious awards this evening. Truly, you are the pride of the Philippines. These achievements reflect not only the excellence and dedication that you have put in with the development of tourism but also contribute significantly to the overall advancement and sustainability of the ASEAN tourism industry,” Secretary Frasco said during the Philippine Night Function in Laos.
“I am immensely proud of what all of us have accomplished together and even more excited about the limitless possibilities that lie ahead with unwavering determination and a shared vision for the future together as one indivisible ASEAN. In collaboration with our invaluable partners, we continue to write successful tourism stories that will inspire the rest of the world,” she added.
Quality and Responsible Tourism – Sustaining ASEAN Future
With the theme “Quality and Responsible Tourism – Sustaining ASEAN Future,” The Philippines, represented by Secretary Frasco, also shared its commitment to sustainable and responsible tourism practices in a series of panel discussions participated by tourism ministers, representatives from various governments, as well as private sector organizations within the region.
“Allow me to express once again the continuing support of the Philippines, on behalf of our President, Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., for our common interests and advocacies,” said Frasco.
“For our part, our President has only one and clear mandate for us in our attendance here, and that is to reintroduce the New Philippines as a tourism powerhouse in Asia, whose people are the epitome of warmth and hospitality, and whose poignant smile is next to none,” added the tourism chief.
During her intervention, Secretary Frasco took the opportunity to invite her fellow tourism ministers and National Tourism Organization heads to the Philippines, as the country takes its turn to Chair the 36th UNWTO Joint Commission Meeting of East Asia and the Pacific, and the Commission of South Asia in Cebu this year.
“With the future in mind, we welcome this opportunity to present our best and re-introduce the New Philippines to the world and for all the member-states and affiliates of the UNWTO to see our country from a fresh new perspective of the Filipino story,” the tourism chief said.
Joining the tourism chief in representing the Philippines is National Tourism Organization (NTO) head OIC-Undersecretary Verna C. Buensuceso, Undersecretary Shahlimar Hofer Tamano, and Assistant Secretary Rica Bueno.
The meeting was also attended by ASEAN top officials and tourism ministers from the region. (DOT)
