Could food be the Philippines' strongest tourism asset?

Recent Senate discussions involving the Department of Tourism have centered on how tourism photos and materials were interpreted by the public. The exchange raised the broader question of how a country presents itself. If tourism promotion is not about personalities, what should carry the country’s image instead?

One answer may lie in an area where Filipinos already have a quiet global reputation: food.

In a recent university course in my master’s program, we discussed the work of Ronald Ranta, who explains how cuisine can function as diplomacy. Increasingly, countries treat food not only as culture but as policy. National dishes become tools of soft power, shaping how a place is perceived long before people ever visit.

This practice, called gastrodiplomacy, uses everyday encounters with food to build familiarity and goodwill abroad. When people regularly eat a cuisine, they develop recognition and comfort with it. This familiarity often influences where they choose to travel.

The experience of Thailand offers a clear example. In the early 2000s, Thailand launched the Global Thai program, providing government-backed loans and start-up financing for Thai restaurants overseas, investing in culinary training, and standardizing menus and branding. The goal was simple: to make Thai food widely available and let it introduce the country to the world.

The results were substantial. Thai restaurants grew to more than 17,000 worldwide, making Thai cuisine one of the most recognizable national foods globally and strengthening the country’s exports, tourism, and cultural visibility. Even here in Europe, I have personally observed that almost every city I visit has at least one Thai or Thai-Vietnamese restaurant or store that locals already know and patronize.

Notably, the Philippines remains largely in the early stages of food tourism development. Tourism policy has focused mainly on festivals and landscapes. Filipinos are widely known as skilled cooks and chefs, and overseas Filipino communities already introduce dishes like adobo, sinigang, pancit, and lechon informally. Yet, Filipino restaurants remain far less visible internationally than other Southeast Asian cuisines.

Beyond the national branding question, there is also a human one. Living abroad, I have met many Filipinos who cook exceptionally well yet work in factories or low-wage jobs because they lack the capital, credentials, or institutional support to open food businesses of their own. Many rely on small online or informal orders because starting a proper restaurant requires financing they cannot access. The skill already exists, but what is missing is the opportunity. If much of the world already recognizes how good Filipino food is, why are so few Filipinos able to benefit from that reputation?

From an economic standpoint, culinary diplomacy appears practical. Restaurants abroad can create demand for Filipino ingredients and specialty products and open small export opportunities for producers at home. They can also generate jobs and small business opportunities for overseas Filipinos. While not every restaurant sources directly from the Philippines, even limited exports and stronger national visibility can translate into broader economic benefits.

So, where does the DOT’s current strategy fit into this picture?

It is worth recognizing what the current administration is doing and what previous administrations have already put in place. In their Food and Gastronomy Tourism Strategic Framework and Roadmap 2024 to 2029, the DOT sought to map culinary zones in areas such as Metro Manila, Pampanga, Cebu, and Iloilo, develop regional food circuits, and promote farm, factory, and market tours. For the first time, gastronomy is treated as a central pillar of national tourism strategy rather than an afterthought. In recent years, infrastructure investments such as roads and airports have also made it easier for tourists to physically reach destinations across the country.

To me, these steps lay the groundwork. Before promoting cuisine globally, a country needs organized systems at home. A stronger domestic base makes any international push more credible. Once those systems are in place, the next logical step is outward: incentivizing Filipino restaurants abroad, investing in culinary training to prepare local workers for the global workforce, setting standards, and working with embassies. Exposure abroad can then generate curiosity, travel, and investment back home, while helping Filipinos make better use of their skills and cultural strengths in the global market and, in turn, create better livelihood opportunities for OFWs.

The recent debate over tourism materials may fade, but the larger opportunity remains. Tourism policy works best when it highlights what a nation already does well, and for the Philippines, that strength may already be on the table.