April promises to be a gastronomic delight for Philippines. The country will be hosting the 3rd Madrid Fusión Manila from April 6-8. It will be attended by some of the world’s biggest chefs as well as leading food enthusiasts. An offshoot of the prestigious Madrid Fusión, the expo will highlight the emergence of Philippines as a major, global foodie destination. Tastemakers around the world have included Filipino cuisine as one of the major travel trends for 2017 and this year the focus will be on ‘sustainable gastronomy’. The theme for the year is ‘Towards a Sustainable Gastronomic Planet’, and Philippines is considered to be the perfect host for such an initiative, given its status as the world’s 3rd largest archipelago with over 7,000 islands and countless endemic species.

Expect great spreads at the month-long festival
Expect great spreads at the month-long festival

The 3-day event will include a Gastronomy Congress attended by a number of head chefs from Michelin starred restaurants in Spain, Germany, Belgium, France, Sweden, South Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong. The Gastronomy Expo will showcase gourmet food as well as the concept of culinary tourism. To cap the event, Manila will be hosting a food festival called Flavors of the Philippines. The month-long festival promises to be a gastronomic and cultural extravaganza with fiestas, culinary tours, food events, cook fests and bar crawls. There will also be special ‘Flavors of the Philippines’-themed menus in restaurants, as well as gourmet and agri markets and trade fairs. For more information on the festival, visit tourism.gov.ph and itsmorefuninthephilippines.com.