By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora
The Philippines has been reelected as vice president of the 26th General Assembly of the United Nations Tourism and chair of the Commission for East Asia and the Pacific (CAP) from 2025 to 2027, the Department of Tourism (DOT) announced recently.
At a press conference on the sidelines of the 56th Meeting of the UN Tourism CAP in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco thanked the member states of the UN Tourism, saying Manila would push for stronger collaboration within the UN body.
With these reelections, the DOT said the Marcos administration would continue championing its commitment to global tourism cooperation and diplomacy.
The Philippines held the same positions after its election during the 55th Meeting of the UN Tourism Regional Commission for East Asia and the Pacific in Cambodia in 2023.
In 2024, the country successfully hosted the 36th CAP – Commission for South Asia and the inaugural UN Tourism Regional Forum for Gastronomy Tourism in Cebu City, attended by more than 600 delegates from more than 40 countries.
Japan and Fiji have submitted their candidacies as vice chairs of the CAP. Laos has been nominated as a member of the Credentials Committee.
For specialized committees, South Korea has been nominated for the Committee on Tourism Online Education.
Frasco said the Philippine tourism agenda is well-aligned with that of the UN Tourism, especially on improving tourism education and maximizing innovation and digitalization in the sector.
“In the Philippines, these are topics that resonate very well with us, especially that our focus is on the development of quality tourism, to prioritize our stakeholders first and foremost that they’re able to benefit from touristic activities conducted in our shores,” she said.
“We are eager to work together with our fellow countries in this region to ensure that we are able to rise to the fullest potential of tourism for this region, while at the same time sustaining the longevity of these destinations for generations to come,” she added,
UN Tourism Secretary General Zurab Pololikashvili earlier commended the Philippines for its continued leadership in regional tourism while citing the country’s successful hosting of the UN meetings last year.
The UN official underscored that the main objective now should be to invest in job creation and education. He reaffirmed UN Tourism’s commitment to establishing a Tourism Academy in Cebu. (PNA)