Baguio’s Hotel, Restaurant Tourism Week events start

BAGUIO CITY -- The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Baguio (HRAB)  is all  set for the Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism (HRT) Week 2019  with array  of  activities  to help promote  the city and the Cordillera region as food and travel destination especially this rainy season.

The HRT Week 2019 opens today (Oct. 6) with HRAB launching  the event’s centerpiece, the “Longest Longganisa 3.0.”

In partnership with MV Alabanza, around 16,000 longganiza will be paraded by more than a thousand students in over seven - kilometers road stretch from Session Road to the Baguio Athletic Bowl.  The longganisa will later be sold to the public at discounted price.

Known drum and lyre and street dancing bands of the different schools in Baguio will be performing for the public.

On Oct. 7 will be the 2019 Search for Mr. and Ms. HRAB Grand Coronation Night at the Baguio Country Club Cordillera Convention Hall.  Celebrity judges include 2015 Miss Universe Pia Wurtzback, 2011 Ms. Universe 3rd Runner Shamcey Supsup, 2010 Ms. Universe 4th Runner Up Venus Raj, Ms. World PH 2012 Queenie Rehman and Bb. Pilipinas Tourism 2013 Cindy Miranda.

For HRAB’s gastronomic treat, culinary competitions dubbed as KKK or “Kataas-taasang, Kagalang-galang na Kulinarya” are set on Oct. 11 to 13. around 30 higher educational institutions are expected to join in the student category while over 10 commercial establishments will compete in the professional category.

Highlighting the competitions will be the Chef War, “Klasika Kulinarya” that will feature classic Cordillera cuisine and agriculture products such as “pinikpikan” for the main dish, sayote and pako - pako for salad and then strawberry and passion fruit for dessert.

The HRT Week competitions are not just  about competing for the best,  but more on elevating the standards of the stakeholders in the hotel, restaurant and tourism of the country,  said Andrew Pinero, representing HRAB and Baguio Country Club, in a DOT – led Kapihan media forum on Wednesday.

 Aside from promoting Baguio and other parts of Cordillera as prime tourist destinations, the annual HRT week is also HRAB’s way of helping promote the region’s strong potential as a food and travel destination.

HRT Week, is HRAB’s contribution to ensure that Baguio folks and tourists will have good things to look forward to especially during the rainy season, Pinero stressed. (JDP/CCD-PIA CAR)