The recognition comes amid broad international participation.
In a statement, the Department of Tourism (DOT) shared that the Philippine Pavilion at World Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan won an award.
It had been conferred the Silver Award for Exhibition Design by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the organization that oversees and regulates World Expos.
The award, it noted, honors self-built pavilions with plots under 1,500 square meters that demonstrate exceptional exhibit design and storytelling.
The DOT said that the recognition “caps a milestone run for the Philippines at the Expo 2025 Osaka.“
Tourism Sec. Christina Frasco noted, “When President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. entrusted the Department of Tourism to lead our country’s participation at Expo 2025 Osaka, it wad with convictionytgat we would bring to thr world the heart and soul of the Filipino, our warmth, our creativity, and our steadfast spirit.”
She continued, “This recognition affirms that when we lead with authenticity and pride, the world sees the goodness and strength of who we are as a people.“
The Philippine Organizing Committee led by the DOT as Commissioner General and the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines as Secretary General commissioned a design and experience team to implement the Philippine Pavilion.
The Pavilion has first-of-its-kind live performance facade featuring hundreds of woven panels created by weaving communities from all 18 regions, alongside large-scale woven scrims inside.
Visitors were also engaged with AI-powered and generative installations such as Dancing with Nature, interactive AI photobooths, a curated Habi Shop, Hilot wellness corner, and Hain take-out counter.
Since its opening in April, the pavillion has welcomed over 1.1 million visitors since its opening in April, with the tourism department touting it as “a dynamic platform for Philippine creativity, craftsmanship, and sustainability under the theme ‘Nature, Culture & Community — Woven Together for a Better Future.’“
Throughout the Expo, the Pavilion served as a hub for cultural diplomacy, tourism promotion, and trade networking.
From the Philippine National Day festivities to MICE roadshows and investor meetings, the DOT said that it wad able to advance cross-sector partnerships and strengthen the country’s ties with Japanese prefectures, travel agencies, media, and cultural institutions.
Meanwhile and in line with sustainability and cultural continuity, key Pavilion elements will return to the Philippines for display at the National Museum of the Philippines.
Frasco furthered that the win was a triumph “not only of design, but of devotion” and as one that honors the dedication of Filipino artists to their craft, culture, and country.
The World Expo 2025 in Osaka saw pavilions mounted by 158 countries and regions from all over the world.
