Around 600 participants from 52 countries came together at the 4th UNWTO World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism organized in Bangkok, Thailand from 30th May to 1st June this year. Organized by the UNWTO and the Government of Thailand, in collaboration with the Basque Culinary Center, the participants addressed topics ranging from the role of technology in achieving sustainable development, to linking the whole tourism value chain to gastronomy.
Collaborating with technology providers is among the UNWTO’s main priorities.
The start-ups at the forum presented workshops to all participants focusing on the gastronomy tourism offer in Thailand, and how to use technology to reach out tourists in a better way showcasing their initiatives.
“Gastronomy is a major driver for tourists when choosing a destination, inspite of which the potential of gastronomy tourism has still to be seized as an intangible cultural heritage. Gastronomy tourism is about harnessing technology to tell a story about people and places to preserve and promote authenticity in local communities”, said the UNWTO Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili.
The UNWTO World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism aims to promote innovative ideas that can help the development of gastronomy tourism throughout the world. On the occasion, UNWTO launched the Report on Gastronomy Tourism: The Case of Japan.
The 2019 edition of the UNWTO World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism will take place in San Sebastian, Spain followed by Flandres, Belgium, in 2020.
