UNWTO and Spanish culinary foundation Basque Culinary Center (BCC) have announced the 8th UNWTO World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism will be hosted from October 5-7 in Spain, focussing on an array of topics on culinary tourism such as skill enhancement, panel debates and startup competitions to promote gastronomy tourism as a factor of development of destinations.

The World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and its Affiliate Member, the Spanish culinary foundation BCC, have announced that the 8th UNWTO World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism will take place on October 5-7 in Donostia-San Sebastian in Spain.

In a press statement, the UNWTO says that the forum will enable participants to engage in a series of culinary masterclasses, as well as in field trips and tastings of regional specialties, over three days with technical sessions, panel debates and keynote and thematic presentations. 

The statement adds that the World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism was created with the aim of promoting the exchange of experiences between experts in tourism and gastronomy, to identify good practices and to promote gastronomy tourism as a factor of development of destinations.

UNWTO says that the Forum will serve as a platform to the finalists of the 4th UNWTO Global Gastronomy Tourism Startup Competition to pitch their innovative and solution-driven ideas to propose new future scenarios that can have a positive and transversal impact in the full gastronomy tourism value chain.

The statement adds that advancing environmental, social and economic sustainability, the 8th UNWTO World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism will focus on the linkages between tourism, gastronomy and producers in fostering rural development, promoting sustainability and resilience, preserving cultural and natural heritage and embracing innovation to enhance the tourism experience. 

UNWTO says that the forum will not only focus on protection of culinary traditions, but also build skill development in rural areas. It aims to train people to reduce knowledge gaps to effectively utilise digital platforms, tools and solutions to enhance competitiveness.

The statement adds that the forum also aims for reduction of the carbon footprint in culinary industries and the promotion of regeneration and seasonal local produce, to ensure long-term environmental and economic sustainability.

The 10th anniversary of the recognition of the Mediterranean Diet as Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO will also be a part of celebration of the Forum, adds UNWTO.