The World Food Travel Association (WFTA) is encouraging food-loving travellers and travel industry professional to celebrate World Food Travel Day.
This annual event is designed to bring awareness to both consumers and trade professionals about the importance of preserving and promoting culinary cultures through hospitality and tourism. The initiative is driven by the WFTA, the world’s leading authority on food and beverage tourism, and its global membership.
#WorldFoodTravelDay
Erik Wolf, WFTA’s Executive Director explains: “This is a day dedicated to building global awareness around the importance of protecting and preserving our world’s unique culinary cultures.” The organisation encourages everyone to celebrate virtually in their own way. Whatever the activity, the WFTA encourage people to share information about what they are doing on social media. They also ask people to mention the organisation so they can like and share any posts.
Join the FoodTrex Global Summit
Ahead of the event, the organisation will shine a spotlight on how and why we travel to experience the world’s unique culinary cultures at the FoodTrex Global Summit (Online, 15 to 16 April 2021). This year’s theme of Sustainability in Food and Beverage Tourism will be explored by 16 speakers across 12 sessions over two days. The wide-ranging speakers will discuss the most pressing food tourism issues in relation to environmental, socioeconomic and economic sustainability with destination representatives, trade organisations, business strategists and entrepreneurs. Other key stakeholders from the extended food and beverage tourism industry are also expected to join the event.
Sessions include Demystifying The Muslim Food-Loving Traveler with Yvonne Maffei (Founder, My Halal Kitchen, USA) and Soumaya Hamdi (Managing Director, Halal Travel Guide, UK). They will address the issue that many non-Muslims simply do not understand Halal food. There is also the common error that Halal is simply a synonym for Middle Eastern cuisine. The two speakers will address key questions, including: What is halal? How can service providers meet the needs of Muslim travellers who love good food and drink? Do local recipes need to be altered to appeal to Muslim food lovers?
Global Brooklyn: Designing Food Experiences In World Cities
Fabio Parasecoli (New York University, USA/Italy) will address the question what do the fashionable food hot spots of Cape Town, Mumbai, Copenhagen, Rio de Janeiro, and Tel Aviv have in common? The Professor of Food Studies will discuss the inspiration to explore the sociocultural phenomenon he terms “Global Brooklyn”. This new “transnational aesthetic” is explored in a new book edited by Fabio Parasecoli and Polish Academy of Sciences researcher Mateusz Halawa. Key conclusions from Global Brooklyn: Designing Food Experiences In World Cities will be shared in relation to the challenge between preservation of local culture and evolving consumer demands.
All paid registrations include links to video recordings of all sessions. The only thing you miss by not attending live is the opportunity to ask questions and answers from the presenters. For more information simply visit The World Food Travel Association website.
Top image: Partners Coffee, North 6th St, Brooklyn (Credit: Sung Shin / Unsplash)
