Macao Year of Gastronomy 2018 launched
TravelBizNews Online —
Macao : Macao Year of Gastronomy 2018 officially launched amidst a ceremony here attended by different personalities.
An array of action plans will unfold in order to preserve and revive the city’s cultural legacy with elements of gastronomy as key enhancers, with the aim to forge Macao into a City of Gastronomy that shows its unique charm and creativity to the world, and marches towards sustainable development and more far-reaching international collaboration.
On the occasion, a certificate conferral ceremony was held for the designation of Macao as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, with Deputy Director-General of UNESCO, Getachew Engida, presenting the tablet to Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR Government Alexis Tam.
“In the core part of our work as a Creative City of Gastronomy, we aim to provide more training opportunities for the next generations of culinary arts talent and to ensure the inheritance of local cuisines, such as our unique Macanese cooking. We will also work more closely with local food & beverage operators to improve the sector’s competitiveness, while encourage more cooperation between gastronomy and creative industries. We will enhance our collaboration with other cities within the network, and also accelerate local participation towards the goals of the network by capitalizing on the opportunities it opens to our city,”Secretary Tam said.
Deputy Director-General of UNESCO, Getachew Engida, remarked , “Gastronomy is not only an integral part of the city’s cultural identity; it is also a strong driver of its sustainable economic development and social cohesion. The Gastronomy Year will also provide an opportunity for Macao to develop regional and international cooperation with partners both within the Network and beyond, strengthening its reputation as a hub of gastronomy.”
Macao was designated as a new member city of UCCN in the field of Gastronomy on 31 October 2017, having become the third city in China to join UCCN in the field of gastronomy.
As pledged on the application, Macao will implement a four-year action plan as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, which includes various initiatives in six categories: Management and supervision mechanism , Enhancement of promotion and awareness , Education and inheritance , Exchange and cooperation , Support for the development of the local catering industry and Cross-field cooperation in the creative industry .
The 2018 Macao Year of Gastronomy is one of the highlight projects included in the four-year action plan for forging Macao into a Creative City of Gastronomy, with its major initiatives : Establish a management and supervisory unit chaired by the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture , Enhancement of promotion and awareness , Education and inheritance , Exchange and cooperation , Support for the development of the local catering industry and Cross-field cooperation in the creative industry.
Jan. 18, 2018
