The Municipality of Porto was present at the World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism

The Municipality of Porto was selected to be present at Culinary Plaza as part of the World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism, a joint initiative of the World Tourism Organization and the Basque Culinary Center (BCC), which took place in San Sebastian (Spain), between October 5 and 7.

Promoting the city internationally in the segment of gastronomy and wines, which is one of the axes of the Future Vision for the Sustainability of Destination Porto, Invicta (Porto City) will present, at Culinary Plaza, the octopus fillets dish with rice, as a way of connecting to the Atlantic, tradition and culture, by Porto chef Vasco Coelho Santos, named Chef of the Year 2023 and holder of a Michelin Star.

Porto will be represented, among other destinations from different geographical areas, such as Saudi Arabia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, in an area open to all forum participants, as well as to the general public, where each destination will promote its cultural and gastronomic identity.

At the same time, a presentation of the city will be made, as an enogastronomy tourism destination, with a concept of a conversation around the table “Sharing Our Table, Sharing Our City”.

According to Catarina Santos Cunha, councillor with the Department of Tourism and Internationalization of the Porto City Council, "being one of the few elected to participate in this initiative by the World Tourism Organization and the Basque Culinary Center, represents not only the recognition of Porto as an important and authentic gastronomic destination, but also an excellent opportunity to reinforce the international positioning of the Municipality in this segment, with an important impact on the city's economy. All this in one of the main gastronomic centres in the world”.

The 8th World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism aims to foster the exchange of experiences between tourism and gastronomy specialists, identify good practices and promote gastronomic tourism as a factor in the development of destinations.

It will be a space for networking, sharing experiences and collaboration, where gastronomy is presented as a cultural expression, identity symbol and belonging factor, which will have approximately 500 participants, including representatives of the government, as well as regional and local tourism authorities, representatives of the private sector, chefs and restaurant owners, academia and affiliated members of the World Tourism Organization.

Focused on the links between tourism, gastronomy and producers, with a view to rural development, the preservation of cultural and natural heritage, as well as fostering sustainability and still improving the tourist experience in an innovative way, this presence will reinforce the promotion strategy of Porto and the North Region.