UN Tourism will host its first regional forum on Gastronomy Tourism for Africa, advancing its work to make this class of tourism a pillar for sustainable and inclusive growth across the region. The forum will be held in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, from July 26 to 28.

Registrations opened on June 10 and will last until July 1.

Hosted under the patronage of the First Lady of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Dr Auxillia C Mnangagwa, and co-organised with Basque Culinary Center, it aims to harness the transformative power of gastronomy tourism for the benefit of local communities and territories in the African continent.

With gastronomy tourism as one of the pillars of the ‘UN Tourism Agenda for Africa – Tourism for Inclusive Growth’, the forum aims to build towards a roadmap for a common agenda for African Gastronomy Tourism.

African tourism ministers and the FAO Representative in Zimbabwe will take part in discussions on developing a strategy to propel African gastronomy onto the global stage, how to build adequate polices to enhance gastronomy tourism and enhance its role as a driver of development.

In addition to forum discussions, the event will include organised technical visits to various locations throughout the region.

Highlighting the importance of innovation, the forum will include a pitch challenge where entrepreneurs will present scalable solutions to address regional challenges in the gastronomy and tourism value chains.

Additionally, keynotes and panel discussions will emphasise sustainable practices in gastronomy tourism, exploring topics such as local sourcing and minimising food waste.

At the forum, experts and chefs, including Chef Fatmata Binta, UN Tourism Ambassador for Responsible Tourism, representatives from the Ghana Food Movement, Chef Adenike Adefila from Nigeria, Chefs in Africa (Rwanda), and Chef Mounir El Arem from Tunisia, will present their initiatives and discuss their impact on local communities, emphasising their role in fostering positive change and progressing education and skills.

On the sidelines of the forum, the UN Tourism Youth Photo Contest titled, “A Journey through Zimbabwe´s Gastronomy" will offer Zimbabwean communities a unique opportunity to express their perspective and capture the essence of Zimbabwe's gastronomic heritage.

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