Culture and cuisine are becoming increasingly popular attractions for tourists. A large number of the six million tourists who come to Spain each year attracted by the typical dishes of the country’s different regions, also undertake activities of a cultural nature. In this respect, cuisine has become one of the main attractions of the many cultural programmes that take place throughout the year.
Companies and institutions, including museums of the stature of the Prado and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, effectively promote combinations of this kind by going beyond mono-thematic products and combining cuisine with the most emblematic tourist sights or with disciplines such as painting, photography, the cinema, music, theatre and literature.
Vitoria is an outstanding destination in this respect, given that in the year 2014 the city will enjoy the title of Spanish Culinary Capital, a form of recognition that fell to Burgos in 2013 and to Logroño in 2012. The capital of the Province of Alava will take advantage of its status as Culinary Capital to provide a boost for its tourist numbers and to position its local restaurants on the Spanish culinary map, an initiative that is expected to be highly beneficial to the entire services sector. Amongst the factors that were evaluated by the Jury that granted Vitoria this status was the fact that the city has managed to integrate a culinary theme into other kinds of social events, such as, for example, the FesTVal, the Jazz Festival and Ardoaraba.
The Córdoba stand at #FITUR2014 will also use cuisine as a central theme for promoting the province. In this respect, the city will highlight its status as Ibero-American Culinary Capital in the year 2014. Córdoba’s Mayor, José Antonio Nieto, has declared that Cordobese cuisine will play “the starring role”, with the express purpose of attracting tourists to the province. The First Vice-Chairman of the Provincial Council, Salvador Fuentes, agrees with this approach, stating that the main points of attraction presented at FITUR this year will consist of cuisine and the Mosque, “which is a universal icon”.
Madrid, through its municipal corporation, Madrid Destino, will also promote a policy based on its culinary attractions. Thus, madridfusión will be complemented by the staging of Gastrofestival Madrid between 24th January and 9th February 2014. This event will feature the participation of more than 350 Madrid-based companies and institutions, which will organise some 300 activities under five different thematic headings: “Sensorial Experiences”, “Gastroculture”, “Gastronomic Madrid”, “Gastrofashion” and “Gastrohealth”. The most cultural facet of cuisine will be presented under the heading known as “Gastroculture”, which will combine cuisine with disciplines such as painting, photography, cinema, music, theatre and literature.
