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THE PHILIPPINES ELECTED AS VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UN TOURISM GENERAL ASSEMBLY ANEW
JAKARTA, Indonesia – Reaffirming its commitment to global tourism cooperation and diplomacy under the Marcos administration, the Philippines, through Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco, has been reelected as Vice President of the 26th General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) Tourism and Chair of the Commission for East Asia and the Pacific from 2025 to 2027.
Presiding over the 56th Meeting of the UN Tourism Commission for East Asia and the Pacific (CAP) on Tuesday (April 15) at the Hotel Mulia Senayan in Jakarta, Indonesia, Secretary Frasco formally expressed the Philippines’ intention to submit its nomination for these esteemed positions, with the country’s candidatures uncontested.
“The Philippines expresses its profound gratitude to our fellow Member Nations for the confidence they have bestowed upon the leadership of the Philippines as Vice President of the General Assembly for UN Tourism, as well as Chair of the Commission for East Asia and the Pacific, especially towards our sustainable tourism development agenda that focuses on prioritizing the welfare of our tourism stakeholders, ensuring the resilience of our destinations, expanding opportunities for employment and livelihood, and providing meaningful and purposeful experiences to tourists by highlighting the culture, heritage, and identity of the peoples of our Region. We accept this renewed mandate with humility and an even stronger resolve and commitment to regional cooperation and collaboration,” enthused Secretary Frasco in a press briefing after the 56th CAP together with UN Tourism Secretary General Zurab Pololikashvili and Minister of Tourism of Indonesia Her Excellency (H.E.) Widiyanti Putri Wardhana.
Meanwhile, Secretary Frasco conveyed gratitude to the Commission members for their confidence and support extended to countries from the Asia-Pacific region.
“We thank UN Tourism for always ensuring that the Asia-Pacific region is included in your programs, whether it pertains to tourism education, innovation, as well as digitalization. And 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 the touristic activities that are conducted upon our shores. And we are eager to work together with our fellow countries in this region to ensure that we are able to arise to the fullest potential of tourism for this region, while at the same time sustaining the longevity of these destinations for generations to come.” the DOT chief said.
As may be recalled, the Philippines was elected to the same positions during the 55th Meeting of the UN Tourism Regional Commission for East Asia and the Pacific in Cambodia in 2023. Following this historic election, the country successful hosted the 36th CAP-CSA and the inaugural UN Tourism Regional Forum for Gastronomy Tourism for Asia and the Pacific last June 2024, bringing together over 600 delegates from more than 40 countries in Cebu.
The forum showcased the talents of esteemed Filipino chefs, resulting in the Cebu Call to Action on Gastronomy Tourism, which underscored the Philippines’ leadership following its election as Chair of the UN Tourism Commission for East Asia and the Pacific.
Japan and Fiji have submitted their candidacies as Vice-Chairs of the Commission for East Asia and the Pacific (CAP).
Meanwhile, Laos has been nominated as a member of the Credentials Committee.
For the specialized committees, the Republic of Korea has been nominated for the Committee on Tourism Online Education.
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PHOTO:
Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco and UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili during the 56th Meeting of the UN Tourism Commission for East Asia and the Pacific (CAP) on Tuesday (April 15) in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Published:April 16, 2025
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