The Diplomat
UN Tourism is organizing the first Africa Regional Gastronomic Tourism Forum, as part of its initiatives to ensure that gastronomic tourism becomes a pillar of sustainable and inclusive growth in the region.
The Forum will be held in Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe) between July 26 and 28, 2024. It aims to harness the transformative power of gastronomic tourism to benefit local communities and territories on the African continent, Europa Press reports.
African Tourism Ministers and the FAO Representative for Zimbabwe will participate in discussions on developing a strategy to place African gastronomy on the global stage and how to formulate appropriate policies to boost gastronomic tourism and improve its role as an engine developmental. In addition to the debates, the forum will consist of organized technical visits to various points in the region.
To highlight the importance of innovation, it will also include a presentation competition in which companies will present scalable and replicable solutions to respond to regional problems in the tourism and gastronomy value chains.
Additionally, there will be presentations and round tables highlighting sustainable practices in the field of gastronomic tourism, covering topics such as the use of local suppliers and reducing food waste.