FOOD TRIP! 4-DAY FESTIVAL TO BRING TRAVELERS TO A 13-TOWN TOUR FOCUSED ON CEBUANO DELICACIES

We travel to find adventure and indulge our senses. To promote various cuisines of the towns and cities in Cebu Province, the Provincial Government is organizing a four-day Food Festival. “Eats Meets West” is also meant to promote culinary tourism in Cebu Province. Boboi Costas, provincial tourism officer, said that the program, now on its third year, resulted from the Capitol’s community-based ecotourism program, which aims for towns to create their own ecotourism ventures. Organizers hope the festival will encourage the featured towns and cities to make their delicacies better and help tourists discover new flavors and tastes. This year, 13 towns are joining the festival.

To promote various cuisines of the towns and cities in Cebu Province, the Provincial Government has organized a four-day food festival.

The Eats Meets West Food Festival, which is already on its third year, aims to promote culinary tourism.

Provincial Tourism Officer Boboi Costas said the festival is an output of the Province’s community-based ecotourism project that encourages local government units to create their own ecotourism ventures.

The festival also aims to educate municipalities and component cities on how to develop culinary tourism by improving their delicacies, discovering new ones, and tracing culinary history.

“We want to discover forgotten recipes and food ways of the Cebuanos. At the same time, we want to innovate on what is existing,” Costas said.

This year, 13 towns are participating in the festival. When the activity started in 2015, only five towns participated.

The organizers hope for culinary tourism to not only help promote delicacies of local government units but empower food producers to earn more.

“One of our advocacies is to honor farmers and fishermen,” said Eleanor Rivera, founder and head of the Healing Present Organization.

Coastas admitted that they can’t expect the full participation of all the towns and cities in the province yet since some are still developing their ecotourism projects.

The food festival is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Nov. 16 until Nov. 19. /

SUNSTAR FOTO / ARNI ACLAO SPECIALTY. One of the delicacies being showcased in the annual food festival at the Provincial Capitol grounds is Cebu’s lechon.