Gastronomy, A Gateway To Tourism
- Gastronomy is the second element that most attracts tourists; restaurants are in second place among the top attractions of the region, right behind our famous “fun in the sun” attractions.
The importance of gastronomy as a gateway to attract more tourism—new visitors as well as repeat ones—was the topic of conversation from several points of view at the press conference held during the 6th annual Vallarta Nayarit Gastronómica event.
Based on information gleaned from tourist interviews taken during surveys conducted by the Riviera Nayarit Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), tourists chose gastronomy as second only to the “fun in the sun” component of the destination; the restaurants also took second place among the top attractions of the region.
Raúl Rodrigo Pérez, Nayarit’s Secretary of Tourism, headed the conference and pointed out that the “best way to promote our state is through its gastronomy, which is our culture, our flavor and our riches. The gastronomy of a people speaks for itself. Between Vallarta and Nayarit our cuisine is top notch and it brings us repeat visitors, making us one of the most important destinations in the country.”
On behalf of the Bay of Banderas hoteliers, Marc Murphy, the Managing Director of the Riviera Nayarit CVB, thanked the organizers of the event—Carlos Elizondo and Consuelo Elipe—for their commitment to the promotion of culinary education within the region and thanked the state government for its constant support in this endeavor.
“We think that one of the best ways to promote a destination is via the palate,” said Murphy, who also paraphrased the words of a French ambassador that visited the destination a few years ago, saying the best way culture moves from one generation to the next is through culinary recipes, which also applies to tourism destinations and their visitors.
Nacho Cadena, President of the Puerto Vallarta Hotel and Motel Association, emphasized these gastronomic events are necessary because “they are very important motives for tourism promotion. We must seek out the creation of more of this kind of event with a more popular edge,” he said. During the event, Cadena will also lead a conference titled “The myths and truths behind Mexican cuisine.”
The event took place in an iconic spot, where countryside and tourism meet: the Centro de Calidad Nayarit, where they handed out awards to the businesses that have purchased local products and have contributed socially to the economic development of the region.
For details on the event seminars, conferences and much more, click: http://www.vallartanayaritgastronomica.com/.
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