“There is a young generation of Filipino chefs who worked abroad and came back with new ideas of combining local and international flavors as well as modernizing and reinterprating our cuisine,” explained during the French travel show Chef Aaron Isip, who runs Kasa Palma, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Manila.
The circuits move well beyond restaurant dining, combining food, local producers, markets, cooking experiences and island-hopping with established destinations. The strategy gives tour operators new ways to sell the Philippines through its regional cuisines rather than simply its beaches and scenery. “We know that the French market is keen not only over culture but authentic experiences including culinary. This is why we started the promotion of new culinary circuits and tours at IFTM ”, told Dakila Gonzalez, Tourism Attache of the Frankfurt office of the Philippines Department of Tourism.
Among the products presented at IFTM were Asiaven ture Tours & Travel’s Visayas Culinary Discovery, a food-focused journey through the central Philippines, and Cebu à Croquer, a Cebu-Siquijor-Bohol itinerary marketed by Evasion Tropicale. Jans Tours was also promoting a three-island culinary trip linking Cebu, Bohol and Siquijor.
Other concepts broaden the geographical and experiential offer. Classroom in El Nido offers travelers into a more hands-on culinary setting in Palawan, while Kusina, Woolah Philippines and Intas were among the operators and experiences presented as part of the country’s growing culinary-tourism portfolio. Intas program also includes an exclusive MICHELIN Trail and a Luzon Food Tour, extending the proposition from island cuisine to the restaurants and food traditions of northern and central Luzon.
Michelin guide revealed the power of gastronomy tourism
The timing is significant. The Philippines entered the MICHELIN Guide for the first time with the 2026 Manila & Environs and Cebu selection, unveiled in October 2025. It featured 108 establishments: one Two-MICHELIN-Star restaurant, eight One-Star restaurants, 25 Bib Gourmand establishments and 74 MICHELIN Selected restaurants.
Michelin’s initial coverage is concentrated on Manila and Cebu, but the tourism strategy is considerably wider. The Department of Tourism has identified gastronomy as a key part of the country’s tourism positioning, while its 2024–2028 Food and Gastronomy Tourism Roadmap aims to develop food experiences across the regions and its over 7,000 islands.
That creates an opportunity for the new circuits to connect internationally recognized restaurants with the less formal food experiences that define much of Philippine cuisine: street food, family kitchens, regional specialties, markets and local ingredients.
Cebu is particularly well positioned. Michelin’s selection includes six Bib Gourmand restaurants there, ranging from long-established market eateries to contemporary Filipino and Asian restaurants.
Michelin Guide as well as the DoT promotion in Paris proved it : Filipino food is increasingly being packaged as a reason to travel, not simply something travelers discover after arrival. The seven circuits provide ready-made routes for travelers seeking a deeper connection with the country’s islands, communities and culinary traditions.
