Role of gastronomy tourism in promoting our culture

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OPINION

By Lilly Ajarova

Food has been described as a language that speaks to senses and brings people together.

Food is such a strong attraction that it is common for a tourist to travel to a destination to enjoy its gastronomic experiences.

Gastronomy, defined as the practice or art of choosing, cooking and eating good food is popular in tourism because it allows tourists to have an experience with different cultures as they enjoy their culinary options.

The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNTWO) observes that gastronomy tourism is about much more than food. It reflects the culture, heritage, traditions and sense of community of different peoples.

Uganda is a food basket with so many organic, tasty offerings that can be cooked in traditional and modern styles embedded in its people’s cultures, and also fused with coastal or Arab, English and Asian influences.

In Uganda, just as is the case worldwide, gastronomy is an integral aspect of life in the sense that it tells stories of people’s heritage which has, and continues to be passed on from one generation to the next.

Your taste buds will be excited to enjoy delicacies like the luwombo dish, rolex snack, katogo, matooke, millet bread, peanut sauce, muchomo (roast or grilled meat) and more.

The Journal of Gastronomy Hospitality and Travel observes that the connection between food and tourism is not surprising and is currently a hot topic, adding that one of the global tourism trends, destination-oriented alternative tourism activities, has been widely adopted in Turkey and the country has started to bring to light the undiscovered values and heritage of its different regions.

In this era of extraordinary change and globalisation, the journal states that creativity and innovation are widely recognised as directing the new economy.

As such, adopting creativity can significantly increase revenue for organisations and destinations and ensure stability in the future.

According to the Systematic Inventive Thinking (SIT) Innovation’s Robyn Taragin, even with the colossal amount of food items, recipes, cookbooks, food blogs, food shows, restaurants and delivery methods, people are still able to come up with something new!

He shares five drivers that keep product innovation going, namely technology in terms of the equipment used on manufacturing lines and the kitchenware to deliver a whole slew of products that consumers can try out. Then, digital applications and social media, which have changed the way we interact with food, trends and lifestyle: whether it is dining-in, family-oriented meals and meals that are experiences as well as sustainability affecting how ingredients are used and used up.

Taragin also points to the introduction of new or lesser used ingredients and the idea of reducing waste and up-cycling food which leads to creativity in using previously overlooked byproducts in new products.

She observes that each person involved in the food industry has their own unique offering and passion that drives their creativity. At the end of July, (UNWTO) hosted the inaugural Regional Forum on Gastronomy Tourism for Africa in Zimbabwe where it highlighted the country’s dedication to harnessing gastronomy as a powerful engine for sustainable tourism development, both locally and across Africa.

The secretary general of UN Tourism, Zurab Pololikashvili, noted the role gastronomy can play in transforming local communities and economies across Africa.

That can be done sustainably by paying attention to organic foods, where they are grown, harvested, transported to markets or selling points, how it is prepared and finally served to tourists.

Uganda economically benefits from exporting organic food. In 2022, agricultural products with an estimated worth of $2.06b were exported from Uganda whose main export partners are Sudan, Kenya, DR Congo, Netherlands, Germany, South Africa and United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The writer is the executive director of Uganda Tourism Board