Alexis Tam leads meeting on Creative City of Gastronomy

The second “Macao･ Creative City of Gastronomy” annual work meeting was held on Tuesday, led by Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Alexis Tam, who expressed appreciation for the contributions of different entities.

In the future, the city will carry on the collaboration that exists across the public and private sectors, as well as utilize technology in an effort to raise Macau’s profile as a Creative City of Gastronomy.

Opening the meeting, Tam highlighted Macau’s double world-recognized listing, namely the UNESCO World Heritage and the UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy. According to Tam, they constitute the city’s most glamorous calling cards. He also complimented the listings’ effect on destination branding around the world.

He called on members of different circles to cherish these two calling cards, not only regarding their concern for gastronomy and food safety, but also to strengthen industry training in order to promote overall quality enhancement in all aspects.

Tam instructed his subordinate bureaus that technology and different forms and presentations of creativity should be explored and employed when necessary to create diversification, citing the inaugural Art Macao project as an example.

He also instructed that more creative elements are required in the future to push forward Macau’s sustainable development and echo the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In addition, Tam made reference to the Greater Bay Area development outline.

The director of the Macao Government Tourism Office, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, who also attended the meeting, considered that the four-year action plan (2018-2021) for the development of “Macao･Creative City of Gastronomy” leverages creativity as a strategic enhancer for the city’s progress towards sustainability, which aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals listed in the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda. The initiatives underway are in parallel with some of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Moreover, preparations for the construction of the Macanese cuisine database have made steady progress. Work is currently being carried out to collect family recipes to guard against their possible loss in the passing from generation to generation.

The Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT) announced its upcoming launch of Master’s programs in the catering field, while the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau presented the project of building an activity center for vocational and technical education. Equipped with an international culinary zone, the center is expected to be operational in the fourth quarter of 2020.

Macau was designated as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy on November 1, 2017. The Creative Cities Network covers seven creative fields including Gastronomy, Crafts and Folk Art, Design, Film, Literature, Music and Media Arts.

Following the designation, the SAR Government has unveiled a four-year action plan to develop Macao as a Creative City of Gastronomy with vigorous efforts. At the beginning of 2019, MGTO held the third annual “International Gastronomy Forum, Macao” and later launched the Great Green Food Journey project in collaboration with National Geographic, aiming to locate, support and promote sustainable practices in the food and beverage sector in Macau. The Office also carries out other initiatives, including promoting the Sustainable Gastronomy Day to the rest of the world and working on building a database for Macanese cuisine. Anthony Lam