A taste of local gastronomy travels to UNESCO World Forum

The Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) director Helena de Senna Fernandes shared Macau’s experience as a Creative City of Gastronomy with UNESCO members at the UNESCO World Forum on “Culture and Food: Innovative Strategies for Sustainable Development”.

The event was held in Parma, Italy, making it the country’s first UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy forum. It attracted the attendance of renowned chefs and tourism officials from different countries and regions.

The event, which took place on September 12 and 13, saw Macau invited as one of the cities showcased as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy. The forum brought together government officials, international organizations, representatives and experts from around the world to discuss “Culture and Food: Innovative Strategies for Sustainable Development.”

There were also sharing sessions from another five Creative Cities of Gastronomy, namely Östersund, Sweden; Florianopolis, Brazil; Panama City, Panama; Parma, Italy and Tsuruoka, Japan, during a panel on “the examples of UNESCO Creative Cities of Gastronomy.”

According to a statement from MGTO, Fernandes’ presentation focused on the initiatives undertaken since 2017, the year Macau was listed as a UNESCO Gastronomy City, and addressed topics such as food culture heritage preservation, fostering gastronomic creativity and sustainability, and shared ways these initiatives are generating a positive impact on the practices and branding of the city.

The two-day event also included other panels, including topics related to food culture and exploring innovative pathways for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. RM

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