By Mark L. Garcia Bacolod City – The head of World Food Expo (Wofex) said Bacolod and Negros Occidental, already among the country’s popular food destinations, need  to create more food tourism events to boost the industry. Wofex President Joel Pascual said that when it comes to food, Bacolod will never be out of the list since many chefs in Manila came from the city. Wofex’s kickoff event for this year opened Thursday at Bacolod’s SMX Convention Center with 50 exhibitors from all over the country. This 3-day activity will end Sunday. “Bacolod will never be out of the list when we talk about food. We should celebrate it and help the city and its surrounding local government units to improve their culinary scene to attract more domestic and foreign tourist,” Pascual said in an interview. Bacolod was chosen to host the Wofex event because of its heavy tourist traffic and the growing number of food establishments in the city, he said. “There are many tourists visiting Bacolod, given that the number of arrivals here is just second to Boracay. Any tourism experience there will always be food,” Pascual said. This is the second time Bacolod has hosted the 18-year-old event, the first being in 2016. But Pascual said there are more exhibitors. “WOFEX is the business side of food. Through the event, we want the local players to help businesses package, process, preserve, and handle food,” he said. Apart from exhibits, the event also opened the Wofex University where experts in the food service industry discussed the latest trends and showcased their skills. It has three tracks: Pastry and Bakery Series, Restaurant/Hospitality Series, and Catering Series. Wofex University also includes a special track on Self Development where making money online strategies, and social media marketing and advertising will be discussed. “Wofex U is the educational part of this event as we want the individuals and food experts to improve their respective professions,” Pascual said.