Gastronomy Tourism Startup Competition 2019 (Win a Sponsored Trip to Spain)

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), in collaboration with the Basque Culinary Center, presents the First Global Gastronomy Tourism Startup Competition.

Tourism is a driver of inclusive and sustainable economic growth, a cross-cutting sector with a high impact on the promotion of social welfare, with the aim of promoting the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

With continuous growth in the last decade, tourism generates approximately one in 10 jobs and accounts for 10.2% of world GDP. At its intersection with the gastronomy sector, food tourism or culinary tourism, it is organized around experiential trips and assumes as part of its essence ethical and sustainable values related to the territory, heritage, local culture, local products, authenticity, tradition or culinary techniques at the local, regional or national level.

The undoubted influence of gastronomy in travel and the growing demand for gastronomic tourism have made this area one of the segments with the greatest development opportunities attracting growing interest on the part of governments. Food tourism has become one of the most dynamic and creative segments of tourism and, at the same time, has naturally positioned itself as an element of diversification of tourism with a high impact on the promotion of sustainable development at the regional and local levels.