UNWTO World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism returns to San Sebastian (Spain)

14-09-23

The Forum will be held from 5 to 7 October) to focus on how tourism can foster rural development, generate economic resilience and preserve cultural heritage.

Held under the theme "Gastronomic Tourism: Back to the Roots", the Forum will focus on the connections between product, gastronomy and tourism. Over three days, industry professionals, leading experts and institutional representatives will participate in live debates, keynote speeches, hands-on workshops and cooking demonstrations with local and international chefs and producers.

The event will host many of the world's leading figures in gastronomy and tourism, including Qu Dongyu, Director-General of FAO; Paolo Di Croce, Director General of Slow Food (Italy); Célia Tunc, Secretary General of the Collège Culinaire de France; Fatmata Binta, winner of BCWP 2022 and to be appointed UNWTO Ambassador for Responsible Tourism on the occasion; and confirmed speakers from Brazil, Croatia, Ecuador, France, Ghana, Italy, Republic of Korea, Rwanda, Spain and Switzerland.

n addition, forum attendees will have the opportunity to choose from five different excursions to experience and savour local gastronomy: "Rioja Alavesa, wine tourism excellence", "Rural flavours of the Basque Country and the Idiazabal territory", "Urola Kosta: fishing villages, landscapes and flavours of dreams", "A sea of mountains, Gorbeialdea and the Arratia Valley" and "Bizkaia - Urdaibai Coast".

Underlining the importance of preserving culinary traditions, this edition will also commemorate the tenth anniversary of the inclusion of the Mediterranean Diet on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list. In addition, the parallel event "Culinary Plaza" organised by the Basque Culinary Center will highlight culinary specialities from destinations such as Azerbaijan, Botswana, Porto (Portugal), Saudi Arabia and Zimbabwe. The residents of Donostia-San Sebastián will be able to access the Forum's headquarters in Tabakalera.

In addition, within the framework of the Forum, a UNWTO Gastronomy Pitch Challenge will also be held together with Culinary Action (the Basque Culinary Center's entrepreneurship area), where the selected finalists of the UNWTO Startup Competitions will present their proposals and innovative technology-driven solutions for gastronomic tourism. To welcome and connect participants from around the world, the Forum will be held in a hybrid format.

Advancing sustainability

Building on the Global Roadmap for Reducing Food Waste in Tourism, launched during the previous edition of the Forum, this year's talks will advance discussions on reducing food waste, promoting circularity and combating climate change within food tourism. Sustainable practices will be showcased, covering the reduction of carbon footprint, the promotion of local and seasonal products and the shift towards circular economy models.

The Forum has been co-organised by the UNWTO and the Basque Culinary Center since 2015 with the aim of promoting the exchange of experiences between tourism and gastronomy experts, identifying good practices and promoting gastronomic tourism as a driver of sustainable development.

Professionals interested in attending the 8th UNWTO World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism can register online now.

The Forum has been presented by Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General of the UNWTO; Joxe Mari Aizega, Director General of the Basque Culinary Center; Félix De Paz García, Deputy Director General of Cooperation and Competitiveness in Tourism of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism; Javier Hurtado, Minister of Tourism, Trade and Consumer Affairs of the Basque Government; and Azahara Domínguez, Deputy for Mobility, Tourism and Territorial Planning of the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa.

This year's Forum is organised by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Basque Culinary Center (BCC), with the support of the Basque Government, the Provincial Council of Guipuzkoa, San Sebastian City Council and the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism.

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