6th UNWTO World Forum on Gastronomy put spotlight on Gastronomy and Rural Development

Ahead of next week's 6th UNWTO World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism to be held in Bruges, Belgium, we caught up with a leading resource person at the event and Chief Tourism Market Intelligence and Competitiveness at UNWTO Sandra Carvao on what the festival seeks to achieve. She says this year's event is themed on Gastronomy Tourism and rural development and believes there is a huge potential to reinforce the relationship.

The 6th UNWTO World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism will focus on the role of Gastronomy Tourism in Promoting Rural Tourism and Regional Development, closely aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

Topics related to the role of gastronomy tourism in enhancing the reputation of destination, empowering local community, as well as strategies that can be used by farmers and small scale rural food producers in using their culinary heritage to directly and indirectly promote tourism and thereby make a positive economic contribution at the local and regional level will be discussed throughout the event.