Catalonia launches sign-up campaign to drive World Region of Gastronomy 2025

Catalonia is on its way to achieving the title of World Region of Gastronomy in 2025. At a meeting in Palau de Pedralbes, the ministers for Business and Labour and for Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda, Roger Torrent i David Mascort, launched the sign-up campaign for this distinction, highlighting the importance of valuing Catalan food production and cuisine as quality tourism.

Minister Torrent said gastronomy is key to transforming the tourism model, driving a more sustainable and responsible one. Mascort stressed the importance of this recognition for the primary sector and the promotion of Catalan products.

The promoters of the distinction (elBulli Foundation, Alícia Foundation and the Catalan Academy of Gastronomy and Nutrition) along with food and wine tourism experience companies, producers, artisans, chefs and journalists highlighted Catalan culinary innovation, its growth potential and the opportunity that being World Region of Gastronomy will represent for Catalonia. All agreed it will be a good showcase for giving greater visibility to the richness of our cooking and gastronomy.

The World Region of Gastronomy must be a collective, participatory project in which all the sectors involved can identify themselves and take an active part. The distinction already has the support of almost 200 organisations, stakeholders and individuals from the production, restaurant and food-and-wine tourism sectors.

Organisations, stakeholders and individuals in the country from the production, restaurant or food-and-wine tourism sectors who wish to join this initiative can do so via the website www.somgastronomia.cat. 

JOIN THE SIGN-UP CAMPAIGN 

📢If you belong to the production, restaurant or food-and-wine tourism sector, sign up to the manifesto of #CRMG2025 and join the organisations that make Catalonia a destination with a first-rate culinary legacy.

✍️https://t.co/978Djg69G8 pic.twitter.com/FCCv12uqTd

— Prodeca (@prodeCAT) April 8, 2024

New initiatives to position Catalonia as a benchmark for food and food-and-wine tourism

Among the new initiatives to be promoted next year to reflect the culinary model and values that have made Catalonia the first European region to receive this distinction is the launch of the new food-and-wine route "Tasta el Grand Tour de Catalunya", which will let visitors discover Catalonia through their palate following the Grand Tour de Catalunya itinerary. Catalonia's food-and-wine offering will also be structured through a Gastro Mapa featuring the destination's main highlights and linked to Catalonia's wine Designations of Origin (DO) and Protected Geographical Indications (PGI).

In addition, the structuring of Catalonia's major routes for food lovers stands out, a bid for territorial cohesion and tourism to discover Catalonia's flavourful landscapes and learn where our food comes from. In 2025 a professional mentoring programme for agri-food farms will be implemented to increase professionalisation and improve the competitiveness of farms that open or wish to open to the public. The programme aims to be a tool to drive and support agri-food farms taking part, or wishing to take part, in the Benvingut a Pagès (BaP) initiative.

Next year will also see the Som Gastronomia Tour, a series of presentations in the main source markets for food-and-wine tourism to Catalonia, aimed at operators, press and opinion leaders, with a technological and innovative component. Regenerative food-and-wine experiences, or those able to become so, will be identified in order to run a professional mentoring programme for 10 of them, helping them become 100% regenerative. A communication campaign will then be launched in the main European markets to publicise them. Finally, a seasonal calendar of tourism experiences will be developed to allow specific marketing campaigns.

The World Region of Gastronomy, run by the International Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Arts and Tourism (IGCAT), seeks to recognise and promote regions that help improve quality of life through gastronomy and sustainability. The Catalan bid was selected for this distinction in June 2023.