Plans Well Advanced to Market Jamaica as Hub for Gastronomic Tourism

The rich, authentic and tantalising tastes of Jamaican foods and wines are to be showcased when well-advanced plans by the Tourism Ministry to market Jamaica as a hub for Gastronomic Tourism materialise.

The Ministry’s first step in claiming a piece of that market is the establishment of a number of Gastronomic Centres across the island, with Devon House, in Kingston, as the first.

For the heritage site, the Ministry plans to improve upon its environs by providing a space where visitors from across the world can come to cook their own meals.

“We’ll be establishing a kitchen. We’re inviting the world to come and cook at Devon House. Families can come; no chef will be in the kitchen, you are the chef,” Portfolio Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, tells JIS News.

As part of the culinary experience, a fully stocked farmers’ market will be established where visitors can purchase spices and condiments to include in the cooking of meals at Devon House.

Gastronomic tourism refers to that branch of the sector where persons make trips to destinations where the local food and beverages are the main motivating factors for travel.

According to the 2012 United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) report, 88.2 per cent of persons “consider that gastronomy is a strategic element defining the brand and image of their destination.”

The report notes that territory is the backbone of gastronomic offerings and is an element that differentiates, and is the source of local identity.

Head of the Tourism Linkages Network, Carolyn McDonald Riley, says focus is being placed on gastronomic tourism in order to tap into the 88.2 per cent of persons travelling to destinations.

Mrs. Riley also wants Jamaica to carve out a slice of the industry which is valued at US$150 billion.

“If food is the dominant reason why people are travelling, then we should be marketing our foods, and what we do with food, this is one of the driving factors,” she argues.

She says that gastronomic tourism has been identified as a medium for diversifying the tourism product and “we think it will strengthen our competitive advantage”.

She notes that this advantage over other countries is due mainly to the variety of fruits and foods which are not found in other places except Jamaica.

Source: http://jis.gov.jm/plans-well-advanced-market-jamaica-hub-gastronomic-tourism/