On the 23rd and 24th of September Sweden and Gothenburg will be in focus for the global food and travel industry through the World Food Travel Summit with the theme “the new wave of food tourism”.
– We chose Sweden because there is a lot going on there right now, said Erik Wolf, president of the World Food Travel Association who founded the organization ten years ago.
It is the first time the congress takes place outside North America. Decision makers and professionals in food and travel from several countries will provide inspiration and knowledge. During the weekend before the congress, the participants will be able to visit different culinary sites in Western Sweden. At the opening reception all participants are offered appetizers from all over Sweden under the theme “Try Swedish”.
The full list of speakers and presentations:
http://www.worldfoodtravelsummit.com/sessions-speakers/
Sweden’s progress as a food destination is a vital part of the program with sessions including:
- Fia Gulliksen, owner of restaurant Jazzköket and initiator of Östersund joining UNESCO’s Creative Cities program
- CEO Mikael Ahlerup from the theme park Astrid Lindgrens World that has replaced the traditional fast food with a local menu
- Niklas Lundell, owner to Luger, organizer of the popular Swedish music festival Way Out West, who switched to vegetarian menus all over the festival
International examples of the program:
- Matt Goulding, journalist from Time Magazine, will talk about how the Danish restaurant Noma has affected Copenhagen’s tourist revenues
- Laura Mandala, CEO at Mandala Research, talks about the latest research in the global food tourism and what to expect in the future
- Alex Beitia, program director of the Basque Culinary Center, which is a center for research and innovation in the culinary field, talks about their concept
The World Food Travel Summit is organized by the World Food Travel Association, in close cooperation with Visit Sweden, West Swedish Tourist Board and Göteborg & Co.
