from MARCUS MUSHONGA in Harare, Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe Bureau
HARARE, (CAJ News) – THE First Lady of Zimbabwe, Auxillia Mnangagwa, has highlighted how gastronomy tourism globally has become an effective tool of attracting tourists.
This is particularly tourists who are cognisant of the natural and nutritional value embedded in traditional foods.
“As nations we should be able to tap into our nutritional traditional cuisines to ensure a healthy living and socio-economic development of our nations. This is in line with our heritage-based philosophy for promoting tourism,” Mnangagwa said.
Hailed as a committed promoter of African gastronomy, she was addressing the eighth edition of the World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism in Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain.
Co-organized by the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) and the Basque Culinary Center (BCC), the event focuses on the links between product, gastronomy and tourism.
A high-level panel of tourism ministers from Bulgaria, Puerto Rico and Zimbabwe focused on policies that strengthen agriculture, gastronomy and tourism.
On Saturday, a parallel event organized by the BCC and WTO, will highlight culinary specialties from destinations such as Botswana, Porto, Saudi Arabia and Zimbabwe.
Zurab Pololikashvili, WTO Secretary-General, said gastronomy tourism can play a leading role in promoting responsible agricultural practices, protecting biodiversity and reducing the environmental footprint.
“It can also create new opportunities for communities to thrive and protect their heritage and traditions and become an engine of growth and diversification for destinations supporting our roadmap towards the Sustainable Development Goals,” he said.
Culinary tourism, food tourism or gastronomy tourism is the exploration of food as the purpose of tourism.
– CAJ News