Europe > Southern Europe > Spain > UNWTO Report on Gastronomy Tourism: sustainability and gastronomy

Spain: UNWTO Report on Gastronomy Tourism: sustainability and gastronomy

2017/05/29

A major component of history, tradition and identity, gastronomy has as well become a major motivation to visit a destination. According to the 2nd UNWTO Statement on Gastronomy Tourism, this tourism segment “offers enormous potential in stimulating local, regional and national economies and enhancing sustainability and inclusion”. The Statement was presented in the recent 3rd UNWTO World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism, held in San Sebastian, Spain in cooperation with the Basque Culinary Center.

Sixteen good practices in Gastronomy Tourism from different nations are showcased in the 2nd UNWTO Statement on Gastronomy Tourism, touching on issues such as seasonality, training and innovation, ICT-related initiatives and wine-related itineraries. The publication stresses that in terms of tourist motivations, experiencing gastronomy is presently at a similar level to visiting a museum, enjoying music and admiring the architecture of a destination. In this sense, gastronomy tourism has strong potential to improve destination management, promote cultures and contribute to other sectors such as agriculture and food manufacturing.

The commitment of gastronomy tourism towards the principles of sustainability has been one of the conclusions of the Forum held in San Sebastian. This includes areas such as poverty reduction, efficient use of resources, environmental protection and climate change, and the protection of cultural values, heritage and diversity.

The event was attended by around 250 participants from 60 nations and was inaugurated by UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai, Eneko Goia, Mayor of the City of San Sebastian, and the Director of the Basque Culinary Center, Joxe Mari Aizega.

The engagement of the traveller in these principles through his/her gastronomic experience was as well underlined throughout the Forum. The need to develop appropriate policy measures and a strong governance framework was highlighted as a major conclusion. This would facilitate not only the commitment of relevant actors, but as well the interaction part them, inclunding the development of private-public partnerships.

The union between gastronomy and tourism provides therefore a platform to revitalize cultures, to preserve tangible and intangible heritage, to empower communities and to enhance intercultural considerate. These aspects were particularly tackled during the practical experiences included in the Forum, such as a cooking class and farm-to-table dining experiences.

Related Articles

UNWTO: International tourism – strongest half-year results since 2010
2017/09/09 Destinations worldwide welcomed 598 million international tourists in the initial six months of 2017, some 36 million additional than in the same period of 2016. At 6%, increase was well above the trend of recent years, making the current January-June period the strongest half-year since 2010. Visitor numbers reported by destinations around the world reflect strong request for international travel in the initial half of 2017, according to the new UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. Worldwide, international tourist arrivals (overnight visitors) increased by 6% compared to the same six-month period last year, well above the sustained and consistent trend of 4% or higher increase since 2010. This represents the strongest half-year in seven years.
US LNG exports make European market more competitive
2017/08/27 The European gas market is becoming additional and additional competitive and US exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) are part of this landscape, Francis Perrin, energy expert, chairman of Energy Strategies and Policies (France) told Trend. “Energy is always a strategic business. Economic aspects are very significant of course, particularly the price of LNG, but nations as well take into account strategic issues. For some Central and Eastern European nations one of the key priorities of their energy policies is the diversification of their supplies, in particular gas imports, in order to reduce their dependence on Russia,” said the expert.
The immigrant success story that led Spanish police to a Chinese banking behemoth
2017/08/02 In Spain's Chinese community, Gao Ping was the ultimate immigrant success story. He was a young man at the same time as he arrived additional than two decades ago and took a job as a cook in a Chinese restaurant. By 1997 Gao had opened an import business and begun building a commercial empire that would make him the highest-profile Chinese in Spain. He became a patron of the arts and cultivated political ties in Spain and in his native Zhejiang Province. In 2007, Chinese media carried a picture of him with Spain's King Juan Carlos I. And in interviews he was quoted saying he wanted to become a bridge between the two cultures.
Spain's PM appeals to court over Catalan independence
2017/07/29 The Spanish government and Catalan authorities took a step further on Friday (28 July), in their showdown ahead of an independence referendum planned for 1 October in Catalonia. Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy announced that he would appeal to the Constitutional Tribunal against a text, passed in the Catalan parliament before this week, which would facilitate the adoption of a bill to organise the referendum.
Spain: Rajoy Calls For Calm In Face Of ‘Authoritarian Delusions’ In Catalonia
2017/07/08 Spain’s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy called Wednesday, July 5 for calm in the face of “authoritarian delusions” in Catalonia, as tensions between Madrid and separatists in the northeastern region surged over an independence drive, AFP reveals. “To all Catalans, to all Spaniards, I want to tell you to maintain confidence someday as authoritarian delusions… will at no time defeat the serenity and harmony of our democratic national,” Rajoy said at a gathering in Madrid.