During the next 16 months, Burgos will coordinate the recently created network of European gastronomic cities.
The European project "Gastronomic Cities" is already underway. The initiative is an acknowledgement by the European Union of the city of Burgos and the exemplary and pioneering work it carried out during 2013 as "Spanish Gastronomic Capital." Italy, Rumania and Greece will be the countries of reference.
On 4 and 5 March 2014, around 30 European representatives met in Burgos to get to know firsthand the work carried out by the city, through workshops, presentations and personal interviews.
The "Gastronomic Cities" project is part of the Urbact II programme, whose objective is to achieve the sustainable development of European cities through the exchange of experiences and knowledge. In the 2013 call for proposals, the European Commission only approved six international knowledge network projects, Burgos’ proposal being the only Spanish one.
"Gastronomic Cities" was launched in Paris on 31 January, during a meeting between representatives of the city of Burgos and European experts.
In February, the Slovenian Janez Sirse, a European expert in tourism strategies responsible for supervising the project, made a technical trip to Burgos.
Burgos’ success is not only based on the creativity and commitment of its citizens, since according to Sirse the city’s good organization, communication and management, in addition to innovation when scheduling activities, meetings, and events, have also played an important role.
The second meeting will be held in April, coinciding with the 3rd edition of "Devour, It’s Burgos," with the aim of experiencing firsthand this tourism initiative combining gastronomy, culture and leisure.
At the beginning of May, culinary experts from the other participating cities will visit Burgos to exchange experiences with their Spanish counterparts; and in June, the province’s local produce will take centre stage.
Furthermore, hospitality professionals and culinary experts will monitor the good practices implemented by the European partners in a number of technical meetings. The first of these is scheduled to be held at FERMO in mid-March, coinciding with the celebration of Tipicittá, one of Italy’s most important gastronomic shows.
The Burgos Convention Bureau believes that all efforts made to develop gastronomy will help the city consolidate its position as a meeting and event destination.
The presentation of Gastronomic Cities
