By Nanette Guadalquiver
BACOLOD CITY – This highly urbanized city will host the Terra Madre Asia & Pacific (TMAP) 2027, marking the return of the sustainable gastronomy event to the Philippines after the maiden edition in 2025.
The development was posted on Facebook by the Department of Tourism (DOT) Saturday night after Negros Occidental 3rd District Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez made the official announcement during the opening of the Philippine booth at the Terra Madre Salone del Gusto 2026 in Turin, Italy on Sept. 24.
Alongside Benitez’s announcement, DOT-Western Visayas and Negros Island Region Director Crisanta Marlene Rodriguez discussed the Philippine experience in hosting TMAP 2025.
“TMAP 2025 was a milestone, but it was also a beginning. The work of our communities continues, and we are carrying that experience forward to 2027,” she said.
TMAP 2025, led by executive director Reena Gamboa, gathered some 75,000 visitors and generated PHP46.59 million in total.
The DOT said the return of TMAP next year would be “another opportunity for the Philippines to reinforce its presence on the global gastronomy stage and position food and culinary heritage as integral pillars of tourism.”
Held Sept. 24 to 27, Terra Madre Salone del Gusto is one of the world’s largest gatherings dedicated to sustainable gastronomy led by Slow Food International, promoting the principles of “good, clean and fair food.”
The Filipino food experience was brought to the event by the 62-member Philippine delegation composed of farmers, fisherfolk, indigenous communities, chefs, artisanal producers and policymakers. (PNA)
