This year’s Pride of Place (POP) series at the James Cook University (JCU) Singapore featured tourism destinations in the Philippines. The two-day event, organized by JCU’s School of Tourism, Hospitality and Management led by Senior Lecturer Dr. Jenny Panchal, kicked off with a program at JCU’s auditorium. Philippine Ambassador to Singapore Antonio A. Morales participated in the opening program as guest-of-honour. He was joined by the new Australian High Commissioner Mr. Bruce Gosper, JCU Deputy Vice Chancellor Dale Anderson, JCU officials and representatives of the Philippine Air Lines.

During his keynote address, Ambassador Morales congratulated JCU for coming up with the “Pride of Place” of POP series, which seeks to raise awareness on tourism of countries in the region. He thanked JCU for featuring the Philippines in this year’s POP. Ambassador Morales said that the initiative could help boost the number of tourists traveling to the Philippines. He also expressed hope that the positive impact of the POP will benefit not just Filipinos but also those from other countries and will help promote sustainable tourism across the world.

POP 2017 also featured a Philippine booth is the JCU campus, which showcased Philippine sites, culture and the country’s culinary tradition.