Competition, EU – Baltic States, Good for Business, Society, Tourism
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Saturday, 27.04.2024, 02:54
First Global Gastronomy Tourism Startup Competition launched
The
gastronomic tourism sector is moving towards innovation and the diversification
of its offerings. UNWTO, in collaboration with its Affiliated Member, Basque Culinary Center (BCC), has
launched the 1st UNWTO Gastronomy Tourism Startup Competition, the
first and largest initiative in the world dedicated to identifying new
companies that will lead the transformation of the gastronomic tourism sector.
Intangible
cultural heritage has become the decisive factor that attracts and captivates
tourists. Gastronomy tourism, as a component and vehicle of culture and
tradition, is an indispensable resource that adds value and provides solutions
for destinations that seek to stand out through unique product offerings.
The
Competition will make it possible to identify the best solutions and projects
that contribute the most to the sector through pioneering proposals in the
implementation of emerging and disruptive technologies, as well as emerging
companies or startups. It aims to identify challenges and projects, and to
catalyse innovations that can transform the Gastronomy Tourism sector in the near
future.
“Innovation
and tourism investments are not ends in themselves, but are means to promote
better tourism products, improve tourism governance and harness its proven
capability to foster sustainability, create jobs and generate opportunities,”
said UNWTO Secretary-General, Zurab
Pololikashvili.
“Education
and innovation are essential for the development of sustainable gastronomic
tourism. At Basque Culinary Center, we support entrepreneurship and the
development of new business projects to ensure the future of the sector. In
this regard, we are proud to once again team up with our partners at UNWTO in
order to continue fostering entrepreneurship and innovation linked to
gastronomy tourism through this initiative,” said Joxe Mari Aizega, General Manager of Basque Culinary Center.
UNWTO and Basque Culinary Center have entrusted
the process of finding startups to BCC Innovation through its Culinary Action! programme, which has
accelerated nearly 50 startups by providing innovative, sustainable
and high added value solutions to the gastronomy value chain.
Startups
are invited to pitch business models that are related to sustainability,
respect the value chain, offer an authentic and coherent narrative, and add
value to cultural and local heritage.
The winners
of this competition will have the opportunity to present their projects at the 5th World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism (2-3
May 2019, San Sebastián, Spain), with the possibility of receiving personalized
consulting and mentoring from the BCC experts of project accelerator Culinary Action!
Full information on the terms and conditions are available here.