Tourism and gastronomy

The Philippines is playing host today for the First UN Tourism Regional Forum on Gastronomy Tourism for Asia Pacific at the Shangri-La Mactan in Cebu, with Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco and Lapu Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan opening and welcoming participants and guests that include UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili, UN Tourism regional director Harry Hwang, UN Tourism executive director Zorita Urosevic and Food and Agriculture Organization representative Lionel Dabbadie, along with several other foreign guests from Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka.

During the one-day forum, a ministerial dialogue will focus on the necessary policy framework for the development and promotion of gastronomy tourism as an opportunity for destinations to enhance their brand positioning, diversify their products, ensure territorial inclusiveness and cohesion, add value, grow tourism spending and connect it with other sectoral branches such as agriculture, culture, health, as well as fostering an intertwined alliance that can only bring benefits to destinations and local communities.

There will also be panel discussions tackling topics such as blending tourism and gastronomy for the benefit of people and planet; When gastronomy meets the territory, Insights by Asia Pacific Destinations; Gastronomy and destination identity: Promoting localhood through food, and Circular solutions for reducing food waste and promoting local sourcing.

Not having travelled domestically for the past two years, I was glad to travel back to Cebu which I last visited in 2022 for a preview of the partially completed Nustar Resort of the Gokongwei Group.

This time around, I am back to enjoy the beautiful Mactan Shangri-La on a clear and sunny day!

Bravo for Duck Donuts

Edilberto Bravo, chairman and chief executive officer of Bravo Best Foods Corp. and who is also the concurrent chairman of U-Bix Corp., last Monday launched the first branch of Duck Donuts in Makati.

Duck Donuts originated in Duck, North Carolina in the United States and has now expanded to 160 sites in the US and two internationally – in Thailand and now in the Philippines.

Duck Donuts’ value proposition compared to other well-known US brands already in the country, such as Dunkin Donut and Krispy Kreme, is its made-to-order or customized donuts made on the spot for the customers.

According to Mr. Bravo, he has spent $500,000 to secure the Duck Donut franchise which he first noticed in California and has become quite popular there, piquing his interest and, long story short, he acquired and signed the franchise of Duck Donuts in November last year that allows him to expand the American donut chain throughout the Philippines.

Mr. Bravo is optimistically hoping to expand up to 3000 outlets, although the initial rollout will just be 25 outlets, while Duck Donuts director for global development Marcel Portmann, for his part, said that they are eyeing to expand in Asia and the Middle East.

Mr. Portmann also elaborated that in offering a customized donut experience for its customers, Duck Donuts can localize the toppings of their donuts. For the Philippines, for instance, he explained, one of the toppings they are offering is crushed Choc-Nut candies, as well as local fruit toppings.

Another difference is an assortment of savory breakfast sandwiches and a variety of milkshakes, coffee drinks and other beverages.

No less than US Ambassador Mary Kay Carlson (who admits that she loves donuts), along with Makati Rep. Luis Campos, were the special guests of honor at the opening of the first Duck Donut branch in Angono street in Makati, just beside the Makati City Hall.

But while Rep. Luis was there to help cut the ribbon for the opening of Duck Donuts, Makati Mayor Abby Binay-Campos was apparently busy attending to her constituents at the start of the work week and could not enjoy the freshly made donuts.

As it began to rain, Ambassador Carlson noted that the rain was a good omen for the opening of Duck Donuts especially since Ducks love water. The rain blessing will hopefully result in a flood of profit for Bravo Foods.

Helping provide employment

Addressing the guests who attended the opening of the store, Mr. Bravo revealed that one of his goals in continuing to invest in new businesses is the opportunity to provide employment to people, which in turn benefits their families and helps stimulate the economy further.

Aside from U-Bix and Bravo Foods, the Bravos also own Service Masters which provides cleaning staff for almost half of the hospitals in Metro Manila.

According to Mr. Bravo, the employment that he provides for his 6,000 employees easily benefits up to five family members for each employee, thus translating to a total of 30,000 individuals.