The United Nations World Tourism Organisation and the Basque Culinary Centre have signed an agreement for the holding of the fifth World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism.

The event is set to take place in San Sebastian, Spain, on May 2nd-3rd.

The latest edition of the forum is supported by the ministry of industry, commerce and tourism of Spain, the Basque government, the provincial council of Gipuzkoa and the city of San Sebastián.

Job creation and the promotion of entrepreneurship will be this year’s special focus, in line with the 2019 UNWTO Year of Education, Skills and Jobs, closely aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.

The forum will bring together ministers of tourism, representatives from national and local tourism administrations, chefs, entrepreneurs, academia and related stakeholders from tourism and gastronomy to discuss latest trends and to share experience.

“Tourism is a huge source of employment and its multiplier effect has a knock-on effect on other sectors, such as gastronomy and its huge value chain involving several sectors,” said UNWTO secretary general Zurab Pololikashvili.

A policy framework for the development of gastronomy tourism and its capacity to create jobs and promote entrepreneurship, future skills, as well as ways to support small- and medium-sized entrepreneurships in gastronomy tourism will be addressed as well during the forum.

The panel presentations will be complemented by working sessions giving all participants the opportunity to actively immerse, interact and share ideas.