Gothenburg to host world’s largest gathering of food tourism professionals
Hundreds of food and travel companies from across the globe will gather at the World Food Travel Summit in Gothenburg, West Sweden (21-24 September).
Organised by the World Food Travel Association, VisitSweden, Gothenburg Tourist Board and West Sweden Tourist Board, the biennial summit will see professionals from the food, beverage, travel and hospitality industries worldwide gather to learn more about the hottest trends in food tourism and how to grow their businesses.
Tour operators and tourist boards who specialise in culinary programmes – or are interested in moving into this fast-growing sector – are encouraged to attend the event to take advantage of the array of networking opportunities.
The summit will take place at the Radisson Blu Scandinavia in Gothenburg - the perfect destination to host such an event. Scandinavia’s cuisine has firmly established itself on the world’s culinary map, with Gothenburg one of Northern Europe’s most popular food tourism hotspots. It has a flourishing gourmet scene and was named the Culinary Capital of Sweden 2012 in recognition of the wealth and quality of its natural produce.
It is the World Food Travel Association’s fourth summit and is set to be the best yet, themed ‘The New Wave in Food Tourism’ and looking at how consumers are increasingly interested in food and conscious about what they eat, as well as about the impact of food on the environment.
The summit will feature an A-list line-up of engaging expert speakers from across the world. Experts include Magnus Nilsson, talking about the success behind the famous Swedish restaurant Fäviken Magasinet; TIME Magazine’s Matt Goulding, speaking about ‘The Success of Noma-Nomics: How One Restaurant Changed a Nation’ and Yi Ta Chng, CEO of What if Innovation Partners in Asia, offering tips for those interested in the Chinese outbound travel market.
There will be many networking opportunities, including a new ‘SavorSearch’ matchmaking service for delegates to meet with specific potential customers, business partners, suppliers and journalists.
Delegates will also have the opportunity to take in the foodie scene of Gothenburg and West Sweden, with an array of fascinating and mouth-watering familiarisation tours on offer (tours cost from £109 pp). There’s a Food and History tour which includes the chance to learn how to bake Scandinavian crisp bread at the grand castle, Gunnebo Slott; a Food and Nature tour of the west coast’s stunning archipelago and a Food and Art tour which includes a gourmet lunch at Astol Smokehouse and the chance to learn about ‘art-touring’ – an annual event when restaurants and artists work together.
Gothenburg is home to some of Scandinavia’s greatest chefs, an array of gourmet restaurants - including five with Michelin-stars – intriguing food markets and street food and a fantastic independent café scene. West Sweden is renowned for its focus on local, organic and sustainable produce, with visitors able to sample the best of the region’s produce at Taste of West Sweden restaurants – a network of 36 gastronomic eateries that make the most of the excellent local ingredients.
A day pass to the World Food Travel Summit costs from 2,450 SEK (£246) and there’s an early bird discount available if booked before 31 July, reducing the price to 1,950 SEK (£196). View all pricing and packages here. A four-day full pass costs from 4,900 SEK (£492) and there’s an early bird discount available if booked before 31 July, reducing the price to 3,900 SEK (£391).
For further information about the World Food Travel Summit, visit worldfoodtravelsummit.com.
For more information about visiting West Sweden and Gothenburg, visit westsweden.com, gothenburg.com and visitsweden.com.
West Sweden can be reached via a short two-hour direct flight to Gothenburg with British Airways (Heathrow), Ryanair (Stansted and Edinburgh), SAS (Heathrow), Norwegian (Gatwick), British Airways/Sun-Air of Scandinavia (Manchester) and bmi regional (Birmingham).