UN Tourism will host its first Regional Forum on Gastronomy Tourism for Africa, advancing its work to make gastronomy tourism a pillar for sustainable and inclusive growth across the region.

The Forum will be held in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, from July 26-28.

Hosted under the patronage of the First Lady of Zimbabwe, Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa, and organised in conjunction with Basque Culinary Centre in Spain, the event aims to harness the transformative power of gastronomy tourism for the benefit of local communities and territories in the African continent.

Developing a strategy for African gastronomy

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 Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations Representative in Zimbabwe will take part in discussions on developing a strategy to propel African gastronomy on to the global stage, how to build adequate policies to enhance gastronomy tourism and 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.

Progressing skills and education

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.

The call for participation opened on June 10 and will close on July 1.

Highest level of support for tourism in Zim

Zimbabwe’s engagement towards positioning gastronomy as a key pillar for the sustainable development of tourism in Africa has been showcased through the launch of several initiatives endorsed by Mnangagwa as the National Tourism Patron, such as the Regional Traditional Gastronomy Festival, which has taken place every year since 2019.

Zimbabwe has also been an active participant in previous editions of the World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism.