19 February 2024, CANBERRA – Over 1,400 guests visited the Love the Philippines stall on 17 February 2024 at the National Multicultural Festival (NMF) in Canberra. Part of the ASEAN Village, the Philippines and the nine other countries that make up the Association of Southeast Asian Nations presented arts, products, traditions and cultural performances as ASEAN and Australia celebrate 50 years of dialogue partnership this year.

People queued up at the Love the Philippines stall that featured a 360-degree rotating photo booth. The guests at the Philippines booth gained instant souvenirs with their Love the Philippines video and printed photo.

Organized in cooperation with the Department of Tourism Sydney, the stall featured travel destinations in the Philippines and Philippine-made pineapple juice and coconut juice. Australia was the top four source of international visitors in the Philippines in 2023. There are direct flights to Manila from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.

The Filipino community participated in the NMF parade promoting the various festivals in the Philippines representing the three major islands of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. The Filipino Language School and the ACT Filipino Australian Social and Cultural Association based in Canberra and the Central Coast NSW Sinulog Festival performed in the NMF stage and participated in the parade.

The three-day festival attracts at least 200,000 guests. -- END