Cebu City is hosting the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Retreat from January 25 to 29, 2026, and the ASEAN Tourism Forum from January 26 to 30, as the Philippines assumes the ASEAN chairmanship for the year.
After nearly two decades, Cebu is once again serving as a venue for major ASEAN gatherings. The Philippines, as the 2026 chair, is using these events to outline its priorities under the theme 'Navigating Our Future, Together.' The ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Retreat marks the first ministerial meeting of the year, focusing on the bloc's long-term vision.
The ASEAN Secretariat highlighted that 2026 will see the start of implementing ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future, along with strategic plans for the organization's key pillars. Security measures are robust, with around 9,000 police officers deployed across Central Visayas and a region-wide gun ban in place until January 31.
At the 63rd ASEAN National Tourism Organizations Meeting, which opened on January 26 at the Nustar Hotel, Philippine Tourism Undersecretary Verna Buensuceso emphasized regional collaboration. 'The future of tourism in our region will not be shaped by any one country alone. It will be shaped by how well we align our strategies, our standards, our innovations, and most importantly, our resolve to ensure that tourism remains a force for good,' she said.
This builds on the 1998 Ministerial Understanding on ASEAN Cooperation in Tourism, signed in Cebu by nine member countries. Venues include Nustar Resort and Mactan Expo Center. Cebu last hosted such events in January 2007.
Additionally, as ASEAN chair, the Philippines aims to expand dialogue with anti-junta groups in Myanmar while monitoring the country's upcoming elections without endorsing them.
