DOT teams up with Viber to promote food fest, tourism merchants

July 9, 2021 - 6:38 PM
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(Center) Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat officially opened the KAIN NA! 2021 festivities at Ayala MarQuee Mall in Angeles City. She was joined by (from Left to Right) OIC-Regional Director Jovita A. Ganongan, DOT-CAR; Carolina D. Uy, DOT Region III; Ms. Marites T. Castro, Chief, DOT Region IV-A; Assistant Secretary Verna C. Buensuceso, DOT- Product and Market Development; Ms. Charmaine N. Bauzon, Area Head - North and Head of Ancillary Business, Ayala Malls, and Ms. Peachy G. Atendido, General Manager, MarQuee Mall. (DOT/released)

Aside from making food delivery easier, one of the country’s most used messaging platforms, Viber now helps promote the Department of Tourism’s food festival as well as food and farm tourism merchants.

This, after the DOT partnered with Viber to endorse Kain Na! Food and Travel Festival.

“We at the DOT are very happy with this partnership as this will not only help us promote the Festival but also promote our food and farm tourism merchants as well,” Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said.

“With the decision to finally ease quarantine restrictions again, we are hopeful to see a faster recovery in the Philippine tourism scene,” she added.

The partnership promotes the festival and the app’s FoodPH bot, the official food directory on the app.

READ: Viber enters e-commerce space by connecting food customers to MSMEs

Through this deal, food and farm tourism merchants endorsed by the DOT from all over the country can join the Viber FoodPH bot to help boost their presence online.

“Businesses get to engage with their customers while strengthening services through Viber’s Community feature, especially now that people also have been turning to Viber more often during the pandemic to connect not only with loved ones but also with businesses,” Rakuten Viber Business Development Manager Veronica Feleo said during the FoodPH Bot and Conversational Commerce during the Food Tourism 101 virtual session of the KAIN NA! Food Tourism Reboot held last June 10 to 13.

Feleo said Viber supports businesses that use their platform to reach out to customers.

“Viber’s FoodPH is just the start of our partnership with merchants not only to promote their products but also allow others to create great food experiences,” Puyat said.

“Other business solutions like webinars and e-wallet integration are rolling out soon,” she added.

This year, the hybrid and food festival with the theme “Food Tourism Reboot” staged a variety of digital events and set up physical booths that promote food and farm tourism products and services.

The on-ground festivities were held at Ayala MarQuee Mall in Angeles City from June 11 to 13.

The food fest is also in partnership with Ayala Malls.

RELATED: DOT’s 2021 ‘Kain na!’ with developed culinary tours, food trips unveiled