Albay welcomes food and travel industry leaders to 1st Regional Food, Travel Expo

THE First Regional Food and Travel Expo or REFTEX starts tomorrow, September 29, 2017, at the Albay Astrodome, Legazpi City. It will run until September 30, with satellite exhibit at the Ayala Mall Legazpi from Sept. 29 to Oct. 1, 2017. With this year’s theme “Insights and Innovations in the Food and Travel Industry,” this first of its kind food and travel event is certainly one major source of the latest trends in the food and travel industry, tackling travel and culinary practices, Bicol authentic food, agriculture and supply chain, and practical operations on food and tourism enterprise management. REFTEX features Celebrity Chef Heny Sison and Teen Master Chef Louise Mabulo, with our local Albayano chefs Aya Medel, Apicius Culinary School’s Dick and Connie Condeno, and Renan Yulo. Reftex also showcases the Bacardi Legacy Cocktail Champion, Mr. Richie Cruz, the DOT accredited Tour Guide, Prof. Salamanca, Wenie Maligaya of Resorts World Manila, Elmer Montejo, a known hotel consultant, and other food and travel industry stakeholders. Agro industry’s game changers Jai Ferrer, farm owner and entrepreneur and Raf Dionisio of MAD Travel also join in to promote agri-tourism and local foods. Another major highlight is the event’s introduction of the first culinary cup in the Bicol Region – The Apicius Culinary Cup, a variety of culinary contests that will challenge the professionals and students alike. REFTEX shall award this cup to the best group for different categories of contests. Apicius Culinary School has been an industry partner as it began providing quality culinary education since 2015. REFTEX is indeed privileged to have Apicius as its primary stakeholder for this first event. Reftex brings the latest topics for Food and Travel Students and Practitioners. These include: Innovating Bicol Cuisine Trends, Craft Cocktails and Bacardi Legacy Cocktail Prospects for Agri-Tourism Agro-Industry’s Business Potentials Trends in Hotel and Gaming Management Techniques in Effective Tour Guiding REFTEX is an official event of the World Tourism Month of the Province of Albay thru the Provincial Tourism, Culture and Arts Office (PTCAO). It is organized by the Human Explore Travel and Tours and endorsed by the Department of Tourism Region 5. It is a gathering of industry and academic participants made up of trade professionals, food and hospitality service suppliers, students from tertiary level and senior high school, tourism and hospitality educators local government officials, and members of socio-civic organizations. For more details, please call HUMAN EXPLORE TRAVEL AND TOURS. Tel. No. +63 52 480 1203 or email at humanexplore17@ymail.com. Look for Ruchine Nuarin Ching or Regie delos Reyes, Jr.