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Starting December through May 2021, the Department of Tourism (DOT) will host a virtual city party each month, in the hope that Filipino-Americans abroad will enjoy what the country has to offer and invite his friends to visit the Philippines once the pandemic is over.
At the same time, the DOT will identify 100 destinations and give them its seal of approval, providing in which hotels and resorts to stay and the services that are available, said the Undersecretary for Regulation, Coordination and Generation of Tourism Resources, Robert Alabado III, during a virtual conference.
He made the statement during yesterday’s launch of “Fiesta Filipinas: An Online Celebration of Filipino Festivals.”
The Department of Foreign Relations (DFA) was represented by the host, Mr. Paolo Abrera and Ms. Chal Lontoc, with the virtual participation of DFA – Office of Strategic Communications and Research Acting Head of Office Ms. Marie Yvette Banzon-Abalos, and Alabado III, including members of the media from the Philippines and other parts of the world.
Ms. Banzon-Abalos called the event an innovative approach to promoting Filipino culture, and is a way to bring Filipino culture and celebrations to the heart of Filipinos despite the limitations of the pandemic.
DOT Usec. Alabado underscored the efforts of the Philippine government to ensure a safe experience for tourists, once the Philippine borders are finally opened to international tourism, while the president of the National Commission of Culture and Arts (NCCA), Arsenio Lizaso, in a pre-recorded message, gave an overview of the deep roots of festivals in Philippine culture.
Banzon-Abalos said the project is based “on that longing that one day we can go back to our lives and experience things with other people and enjoy a more worry-free existence, free of Covid-19.”
“Fiesta Filipinas: An Online Celebration of Filipino Festivals” is a six-part, multi-format online event series that will simulate the festival experience through a combination of live and pre-recorded videos of the festival location and the celebration of the previous year. .
Every month from December 2020 to May 2021, a Filipino festival will be featured as a way for locals to present their cultural holiday on the world stage.
The first virtual event Fiesta Filipinas will properly celebrate the Christmas season in the Philippines, with the Parade of Giant Lanterns (December 19), followed by the Sinulog, Ati-Atihan and Dinagyang Festivals (January 30, 2021), the Panagbenga Festival (27 February). 2021), Visit Church (March 20, 2021), Lami-Lamihan Festival (April 24, 2021), to end with the Flores De Mayo / Santacruzan (May 29, 2021).
A multi-sensory experience, Fiesta Filipinas will share a limited number of kits with some lucky participants from around the world, so they can join in the workshops that will be held as part of the virtual parties. Residents abroad who wish to participate can contact the nearest Embassy or Consulate to request their kits.
Kits will contain familiar Philippine crafts, food, a bamboo parol (lantern), and things that are commonly shared during a particular party.
DOT Secretary Bernadette Puyat asked participants to join the program’s virtual tours of the cultural sites and sounds of the Philippines while sharing with the world Filipino foods that whet tourists’ appetites, “What the Filipinos call patikim for that shares the aroma, taste and feel of our chocolate, durian, marang, accompanied by the drumbeats of the Dinagyang Festival in Iloilo.”
