World Tourism Day (Far Eastern University, Manila)

Guest speakers, teachers and students in one big World Tourism Day selfie

Consul Michael Alexander M. Ang

The U.N. World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is celebrating World Tourism Day this year with its theme entitled “Tourism And Community Development.”  To celebrate it, the Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management (ITHM) of Far Eastern University hosted a symposium held at the FEU Main Auditorium.  

Guest speakers during the symposium were Mr. Michael Alexander M. Ang (Honorary Consul of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan), Mr. Christof Wegner (Commercial Counselor of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany) , Mr. Thelmo Luis Cunanan (Honorary Consul of the Republic of Georgia) and Ms. Anna Marie Ablan (Honorary Consul of the Republic of Belarus). 

Mr. Wegner and Consul Ang with their Plaques of Appreciation

Mr. Christof Wegner of the German Embassy

The first speaker was Mr. Ang who presented the traditional and non-traditional tourist sites of Jordan, notably Petra (a UNESCO World Heritage Site featured in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” and “Transformers: World of the Fallen”), the Dead Sea (the lowest and saltiest spot on earth), the stupendous and timeless Wadi Rum, the ancient Crusader stronghold of Al Karak, the fortified hilltop palace of Macaherus (location of the imprisonment and execution of John the Baptist), the Jordan River (site of the baptism of Jesus Christ), the ruins of the Graeco-Roman city of Jerash and the Red Sea resort city of Aqaba. 

The FEU Bamboo Band

Consul Thelmo Luis Cunanan

Mr. Buddy Cunanan delivered a political, historical and cultural overview of Georgia as well as its tourist attractions which include over 12,000 historical and cultural monuments, four of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites - Bagrati Cathedral (Kutaisi), Gelati Monastery, Mtskheta, and the Upper Svaneti. 

Special mention was made of the latter, the highest inhabited area in the Caucasus (four of the 10 highest peaks are located here). This historic province, in the northwestern part of the country, is inhabited by the Svans, an ethnic subgroup of the Georgians.  Svanetia is known for its architectural treasures, with dozens of Georgian orthodox churches and various fortified buildings, and picturesque landscapes.  Mr. Cunanan also presented a teaser video on Georgia tourism featuring lively Georgian dancers.

Consul Ablan and Consul Cunanan with their Plaques of Appreciation

Consul Anna Marie Ablan

Christof Wegner, on the other hand, gave an overview of the tourist infrastructure of Germany.  Incidentally, Germans are the second biggest tourist group from Europe coming to the Philippines.  

Ms. Ablan narrated her travel experiences, with her daughter, around Belarus, presenting slides of their observation of the country’s cottage industries.  In between proceedings, the audience was regaled by the performance of the FEU Bamboo Band.  After the presentation of plaques of appreciation, the speakers gamely joined the students and teachers for a group selfie.