BY VINCE JACOB VISAYA
TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan (December 2)—The Kulinarya: Farm, Food Fun Festival held recently in Basco, Batanes got a boost through the launching of an Ivatan full-course menu and partaken by 90 guests from the private sector and government leaders.
Department of Tourism (DoT) Region 2 Director Fanibeth Domingo lauded the “successful staging” of the event after supervising its implementation with her support staff.
The Kulinarya program of the Tourism department was staged to support the government’s advocacy for the preservation of culture and heritage.
Through food, being a component of cultural tourism in the portfolio of the National Tourism Development Plan, the DoT Region 2 managed to showcase the importance of Ivatan food as a component of the Philippine experience for domestic and foreign tourists, Domingo said.
The Kulinarya, under Food and Farm Tourism programs, promotes sustainable farm practices by using locally-grown farm produce that will ensure that the Ivatan’s climate-resilient farming methods continue to thrive.
“Batanes, being an island province in the northern part of the country, has unique flavors and way of life. The province was opened to tourists during the staging of the WOW Philippines in early 2002, thereby preserving the villagers’ unique traditions, culture and heritage,” the tourism regional head said.
The uniqueness of the Ivatan race, their lifestyle and tradition became the inspiration of the participants who attended the Kulinarya workshop. The participants were able to produce a full-course Ivatan dinner using raw materials produced only from the province, she added.
The launching of the Ivatan full-course menu is a part of the ongoing Cultural Tourism Product Development Program that DoT Region 2 is implementing to enhance the tourist experience when visiting the island province while promoting the “slow food culture.”
Domingo urged tour operators, hotel and restaurant owners to offer the full-course Ivatan menu to tourists to include the trimmings of Ivatan heritage, including handicrafts and cultural performances, to complete the Ivatan experience in a Philippine setting.
She encouraged strengthening of farm tourism organizations in the region to support the food and farm tourism programs of the DoT “as food and farm tourism is a regenerative activity that provides economic opportunities in host communities as well as local experiences for tourists and guests.”
Domingo said she believes that the program will result in sustainable production of agricultural materials for the community to support the production of Ivatan food and farm products as well as preserve the culture of Ivatan food preparation.
DoT Region 2 started to offer tourism activities in the region in November last year by opening DoT-accredited farm tourism sites in all the valley provinces of Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino.
The program paved the way for locals in the region to start going out and engaging in farm visits as the country slowly allowed tourism activities.