Programme

13:00 - 17:00

Organized by the Japan Tourism Agency (JTA), in collaboration with UNWTO, the UNWTO Regional Support Office for Asia and the Pacific (RSOAP) and the Asia-Pacific Tourism Exchange Centre (APTEC)

10:00 - 10:45

• 

  Shogo Arai

  Governor of Nara Prefecture (Japan). Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Nara Prefecture Gastronomy Tourism World Forum

  Governor of Nara Prefecture since 2007. The city is promoting "gastronomy tourism" as a new tourism theme, and has opened the "Nara International University for the Creation of Food and Agricultural Attractiveness (NAFIC)" to train top runners in "food" and "agriculture. NAFIC" has opened an auberge-style restaurant to provide practical training, and is promoting the creation of new attractions through cooperation between food and agriculture. In addition, NAFIC is expanding opportunities to enjoy Nara's food by attracting restaurants, holding food events using local ingredients, and promoting the appeal of auberge-style restaurants. Nara is also actively promoting the attractiveness of Nara, including its food, to foreign countries, and is working to create a mechanism to attract visitors.

• 

  Zurab Pololikashvil

  Secretary-General, UNWTO

  Secretary-General since 1 January 2018 after being elected by the 22nd Session of UNWTO General Assembly. He was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to the Kingdom of Spain, the Principality of Andorra, the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria and the Kingdom of Morocco and Permanent Representative of Georgia to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) up to December 2017. Between 2009 and 2010, he was Minister of Economic Development of Georgia. As a Minister of Economic Development of Georgia, Mr. Pololikashvili was responsible for overseeing the country's long-term fiscal growth strategies, advancing foreign trade and investment policy initiatives as well as for promoting the development of the tourism, infrastructure and transportation sectors. He was instrumental in launching an innovative policy for the development of tourism in Georgia, prioritizing the sphere on both the government and private sector agendas. During Mr. Pololikashvili’s tenure as Minister of Economic Development, through key policy reforms, marketing activities, improvement of infrastructure and visa liberalization initiatives, Georgia nearly doubled the number of international tourist arrivals, from 1.5 million (2009) to exceeding the 2.8 million mark by 2011. Those reforms paved the way for sustainable tourism practices in Georgia and poverty alleviation initiatives, placing Georgia among the top tourism destinations in the region. Minister Pololikashvili successfully led the economic liberalization processes, introducing supportive policies for SMEs, and incentive programmes to attract foreign investment for the development of hard and soft infrastructure. Between 2006 and 2009, he was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to the Kingdom of Spain, while from 2005 to 2006, he was Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia. In this capacity, he supervised the departments for administrative, budgetary, financial and consular affairs, as well as the Department for Human Resources Management. Mr. Pololikashvili was responsible for ushering in a new phase of more liberal and secure visa regimes, facilitation of processes to ease border crossing procedures, and deepening relations with various international organizations, including UNWTO.

• 

  Joxe Mari Aizega

  General Manager, Basque Culinary Center

  Joxe Mari Aizega, General Manager of Basque Culinary Center, pioneer center in the world of gastronomy, integrates the Faculty of Gastronomic Sciences and the Technological Center in Gastronomy. Graduate in Law and Business Studies, holder of a Doctorate in Law from the University of the Basque Country. He began his professional career as a teacher at the University of the Basque Country. He has held different management positions, both in the business and academic sector, being Vice Chancellor of Mondragon University. He has been one of the fundamental promoters of Basque Culinary Center, leading the strategic direction of the institution since its foundation in 2009. Throughout the evolution of the center, it is worth mentioning, among others, the creation of the Technological Center in Gastronomy and initiatives such as Basque Culinary World Prize. Protagonist in different forums of the sector, he has a relevant role as an active player in the promotion and dissemination of gastronomy.
  Publications: Co-director of the book "Basque: Creative Territory" and co-author of the book "Culinary Action".

10:45 - 10:55

Keynote Speech

• 

  Koichi Wada

  Commissioner, Japan Tourism Agency, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (Japan)

10:55 - 11:10

Keynote Speech

• 

  Masayuki Miura

  Project AWA and Kiyosuminosato AWA Michelin Guide Nara 2022, Green-Star Restaurant (Japan)

  Since 1998, he has been engaged in the research, cultivation, and preservation of native crops in Nara Prefecture, mainly Yamato traditional vegetables, and grows about 140 kinds of vegetables and herbs a year, mainly in Kiyosumi no Sato, a mountainous area in the suburbs of Nara City, as his main field. In 2002, he opened the farmer's restaurant "Awa" in Kiyosumi no Sato, using Yamato traditional vegetables as ingredients, and in 2009, he opened the Awa Naramachi restaurant in Nara City. He is the representative of "Project Awa," a social business based on the sixth industry, which is a collaboration of Awa Corporation, NPO Kiyosumi no Mura, and the Gokatani Farming Council.

11:10 - 11:30

• 

  Moderator: Sandra Carvao

  Director Tourism Market Intelligence and Competitiveness, UNWTO

  Sandra Carvão is Chief of Tourism Market Intelligence and Competitiveness at the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) since June 2018. Before that, she was Chief of Communications and Publications for 8 years until May 2018 where she was responsible for UNWTO's strategic positioning. Prior to this post, Sandra was Deputy Chief at UNWTO's Market Trends, Competitiveness and Trade in Tourism Services Department between 2007 and 2010. During this period, Sandra coordinated the Tourism Resilience Committee created by UNWTO to address the impacts of the global economic crisis 2008-2009 on tourism. Prior to joining UNWTO in 2003, Sandra held a position as market manager in the Portuguese National Tourist Office in Lisbon. Sandra has a degree in International Relations, Economics Branch, by the Instituto de Ciências Sociais e Políticas/Universidade Técnica de Lisboa and a postgraduade degree in Marketing by the Universidad Complutense de Madrid.

• 

  Chef Catia Uliassi

  Co-owner of Uliassi Restaurant (Italy)

  Born in Senigallia (Italy), Catia Uliassi grew up in a well-known and popular bar in the suburbs, founded by her parents, which still exists and is now ran by her brother Walter. From this first experience, Catia learnt love, diligence and all aspects related to hospitality management. Together with her brother Mauro, they first opened the restaurant Uliassi in 1990 as a family-run beachside café ideally located by the harbour of the picturesque town of Senigallia. Immediately acclaimed by the local community, the restaurant went through all stages of success and transformations before eventually being granted with the most prestigious culinary award in 2019: a third Michelin Star. Catia Uliassi is responsible for coordinating every aspect of the dining room, hospitality and service of her restaurant. She is also a an enthusiastic of design, and the restaurant's interior puts in evidence her amazing taste. She is passionate about painting, and has exhibited her works in several art galleries, with solo exhibitions in Italy and abroad (2015 in Hong Kong, 2016 in New York).

「Women and Youth: A spotlight on talent」

11:50 - 12:50

In most regions of the world, women and youth make up the majority of the tourism workforce. Tourism has been proven to provide pathways to empowerment, and an opportunity to make a difference should be maximized with the development of policies that are gender and age responsive.
This session seeks to celebrate and empower the next generation of tourism leaders to help build a lasting legacy by providing women and youth with the necessary skills and knowledge they need to engage in productive activities, seize economic opportunities, exert influence in society, therefore transforming tourism not only in their communities but everywhere else, to ensure an inclusive and resilient recovery from the impacts of the pandemic, given the disproportionate effect suffered by these working forces in tourism.

Moderation and introduction

• 

  Joxe Mari Aizega

  General Manager, Basque Culinary Center

Speakers

• 

  Liz Ortiguera

  Chief Executive Officer of Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA)

  Liz Ortiguera is a senior executive with over 25 years of global experience and expertise in general management, marketing, business development, and partner network management. Liz is passionate about innovation, business transformation, and community building. Her career spans several industries - travel/lifestyle, technology, financial services, and pharmaceuticals. She has experience in working at both multinational corporations including American Express and Merck and start-up environments in software as a service (SaaS), e-commerce, and ed-tech. For 10 years she was the General Manager for Amex's Travel Partner Network in Asia-Pacific, managing partnerships with top travel management companies, MICE, and leisure agencies in the region. She is able to adeptly work across cultures and business environments to catalyse opportunities and drive growth. In her personal life, she has been a continual advocate for poverty eradication programmes and education initiatives across the region. Liz is an alumna of the Stanford University Graduate Business School, Columbia University Business School, New York University, and The Cooper Union in New York.

• 

  Chef Lucia Freitas

  A Tafona and Lume (Spain)

  Chef owner of the "A Tafona" restaurant and the "Lume" Gastronomic Bar. Her restaurant was warded with one Michelin star and two Soles Repsol. Lucía is the Honorary President of WIG ("Women in Gastronomy", Japan). She firmly believes that haute cuisine is aiming to a regression path, of reflection, using technology and innovation to bring it back to its origins. She cultivates her own vegetable garden and constantly investigates the green world and plant chromatism. She works hand in hand with shellfish gatherers, fisherwomen and local producers to prepare menus and new recipes that enrich the gastronomic culture of Galicia. "Sharing our gastronomic heritage makes us grow. It is a good growth, a better growth. There is no better philosophy than humanity".

• 

  Chef Maria Margarita A. Forés

  UNWTO Ambassador for Sustainable Tourism and Asia's Best Female Chef 2016 (Philippines)

  Named Asia's Best Female Chef 2016 (an award voted on by her peers in the international restaurant industry), Margarita Forés runs several restaurants and is the caterer of choice for visiting dignitaries. Born into a prominent clan - the founders of Araneta Center in Quezon City, Philippines -- Ms. Forés moved to the US with her parents as a teenager, going on to college and a corporate career. In her late twenties, she realized and pursued her passion for cooking, moving to Italy to immerse herself in the cuisine. When it opened in 1997, Ms. Forés' flagship restaurant Cibo changed Manila's dining culture -- it is now joined by restaurants Lusso, Grace Park, The Loggia at Palacio de Memoria, and the catering company Cibo di Marghi. With growth comes the voluminous accolades in the restaurant beat which did not go unnoticed. Ms. Forés has been featured in two seasons of The Crawl, a local culinary travel show. She has received international commendations; knighted by the Italian government for her work in promoting the country's cuisine and culture; and in September 2019, she was named a United Nations Ambassador for Gastronomic Tourism. A two-time cancer survivor, Ms. Forés is ebulliently proud -- as a mentor and mother -- of the opening of A Mano, a traditional Italian restaurant headed by her son, Amado Forés.

• 

  Chef Natsuko Shoji

  été Restaurant and Asia's Best Female Chef 2022 (Japan)

  Born in 1989, she opened été in Yoyogi Uehara, Tokyo in 2014 at the age of 24. Her cakes are considered "fantastic cakes" and have attracted worldwide attention.
  She has collaborated with many world-renowned creators and high fashion brands including artist Takashi Murakami, VERDY, and Tomo Koizumi. In 2015, she opened a restaurant accepting only one couple per day, and in 2020, she was awarded the Asia's Best Pastry Chef Award as the first Japanese female, and the following year she received the BVLGARI AVRORA AWARDS. In 2022, she was named ASIA'S BEST FEMALE CHEF AWARD, and the same year she was awarded The Best Chef in the World 100. She also received a special award, the " The Best Chef FoodArt Award," for her artistic cakes and cuisine.

• 

  Hiraku Ogura

  Founder of Fermentation Laboratory (Japan)

  Ogura is a fermentation designer, born in Tokyo, 1983. He studied Cultural Anthropology in the Humanities and Social Sciences department of the Waseda University. After working as a designer, he studied fermentation science as a research student at the Tokyo University of Agriculture. Ogura then founded his Fermentation Laboratory on top of a mountain in the city of Koshu, Yamanashi Prefecture. Under the title of "Fermentation Designer," he develops products, creates picture books and animations, and holds workshops with brewers across the country. His "Temaemiso no uta (Song of home-made miso)" has won the Good Design Award 2014. Shoji started "Koji mold Making Lecture" with his picture book "Ouchi de kantan kojizukuri " and curated an exhibition of fermented foods at Shibuya Hikarie, which was a great success. In 2020, he opened "Fermentation Department Store" in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo.

• 

  Jean-Philippe Zahm

  General Manager, Ducasse Paris (Japan)

  Jean-Philippe has spent more than 15 years in major 3 Michelin star establishments and alongside chefs such as Alain Chapel or Robert Bardot. He continued his career as a teacher of French gastronomic culture in Japan and spent seven years working for the international development of the Ritz Escoffier School. In 2004, he became responsible for catering at the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris before turning to the retail sale of culinary products and taking part in the opening and development of several concepts in London (for Daylesford Organic and Maison Ladurée). He joined again the Ritz Paris as Brand Director and in 2017, decided to move back to Japan and to work closely with Alain Ducasse for the development of the restaurants, but also the Manufacture du Chocolat Alain Ducasse and new development to come.

「Our planet our future: Sustainable Food」

14:00 - 15:00

Food represents an entry point for circularity and transformation in tourism operations through sustainable procurement, sustainable menus and food waste prevention and reduction. However, many tourism businesses source their food from global markets with consequent leakages and increased carbon footprint. There are also high volumes of food waste in tourism operations with hotels sometimes wasting up to 60% of the food purchased. This problem represents globally the loss of over USD 100 billion on an annual basis for the industry, but also one of the biggest opportunities for savings through the optimization of food processes and integration of circular approaches.
One third of the food produced globally gets wasted. Action on food waste must be a top priority for all. The Global Roadmap on Food Waste Reduction in Tourism provides a consistent framework for tourism stakeholders to embrace the sustainable management of food so that it never becomes waste. The Roadmap will be launched on the occasion of the Panel Discussion.

Moderator

• 

  Virginia Fernandez-Trapa

  Programme Officer, Sustainable Development of Tourism, UNWTO

  Virginia Fernandez-Trapa is Programme Officer of the Sustainable Development of Tourism Department at the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). She is responsible for the implementation of initiatives addressing the global challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, such as the One Planet Sustainable Tourism Programme on sustainable consumption and production, the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism, the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative and the Global Roadmap on Food Waste Reduction. Virginia joined UNWTO in 2007, she has a Law Degree from Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Masters on Sustainable Development of Tourism and Destination Policy and Strategy Management.

Speakers

• 

  Sakiko Yamada

  CEO, Food Loss Bank (Japan)

  Yamada is the founder and CEO of Food Loss Bank. She is also the president of The Academy of Gastronomy Japan (Japanese Branch of the International Academy of Gastronomy). She founded and is the President and CEO of SPELDENT MEDIA LLC, a Los Angeles-based film and television production. She is also working as a Senior Advisor for Los Angeles City's SDGs "CHANGE". As one of the official Ambassadors of the World's 50 Best Restaurants, she plays a key role on the international and national gastronomy scene. Yamada was appointed to serve as founding President in Japan for the first Asian branch of the International Academy of Gastronomy, which has included many members of European Royal Families and collaborates with different UN agencies such as FAO, WHO, UNESCO, EU and others. She is active in sustainable food projects and was named Commander of the Order of Isabel La Católica by HM King Felipe VI of the Kingdom of Spain.

• 

  Iñaki Gaztelumendi

  Technical Coordinator, Basque Culinary Center

  Iñaki Gaztelumendi has been working in the tourism sector for more than 25 years, from the field of tourism destination management, strategic planning and project development. He was Managing Director of Tourism of Santiago de Compostela. Iñaki is currently a strategic consultant in the tourism sector. He is founder and director of the consulting company Verne Tourism Experts. Among his most recent works, we can highlight the tourism strategy of Donostia-San Sebastián, the Guide to apply the Circular Economy in the Tourism Sector of Spain (SEGITTUR-Government of Spain), the strategy of ES_MÚSICA (Spain Music Organization), or the Ibero-American strategy for tourism and sustainable development (SEGIB). Iñaki is Associate Professor at the Basque Culinary Center. In this sense, Iñaki has participated in the elaboration of the UNWTO-BCC Guidelines for the Development of Gastronomy Tourism and the SEGIB-BCC report "The Contribution of Gastronomy to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He also collaborates as a professor in several Spanish and international universities and gives presentations on strategy and current trends in tourism.

• 

  Benjamin Lephilibert

  CEO, Lightblue Consulting (Thailand)

  Food Waste hacker is how to best describe Benjamin. He is the Founder of LightBlue, a UN-Awarded for-profit social enterprise working since 2012 on food waste prevention across Asia, Europe, the Indian Ocean and the US with hotel groups, restaurants, government and development agencies and International organizations.
  He is a guest-lecturer in culinary and business schools, solution designer of FIT Food Waste Monitoring Tech, and co-designer of The PLEDGE™ on Food Waste international certification. He has trained more than 3000 culinary professionals and run 45 food waste prevention projects in 15 countries, and was awarded Global Top 30 Champions of Sustainability in Hospitality 2021 by IHI.

• 

  Vincent Benjamin

  Commercial Director, Winnow Solutions in APAC (Singapore)

  Vincent Benjamin is the Commercial Director of Winnow Solutions in APAC. He has 20 years of experience, mainly in the hospitality/F&B industry, working in Spain, France, Thailand, China and Singapore - For companies such as Ritz-Carlton, Accor group and Diversey. He is proud to be part of Winnow's mission to inspire chefs and others to see that food is too valuable to waste. Winnow develops Artificial Intelligence tools to help chefs run. more profitable and sustainable kitchens by cutting food waste in half. Since launch 8 years ago Winnow has been deployed in 45 countries and has saved its customers over $42m by reducing food waste, saving 36m meals a year from the bin.

• 

  Eijiro Yamakita

  President and CEO, JTBCorp (Japan)

  Born in 1963, Eijiro Yamakita joined JTB in 1987 after graduating from Waseda University. He was involved in the company's strategy and business development before relocating to Europe, where he was appointed to be top management at the forefront of the company's global business. Before becoming the President and CEO of JTB Corp. in 2020, he served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Kuoni Travel Investment Ltd and the European Head of JTB Group for 3 years. Privately, he has an appreciation for art and is a long-time baseball fan. The JTB Group traces its roots back to 1912 when the "Japan Tourist Bureau" was formed to attract international travelers to Japan and assist with their travel needs. While our activities and clientele have expanded greatly since then, the JTB Group remains aligned around a core purpose: bringing people, places, and possibilities together. With the new challenges in recent years, today's JTB Group is about far more than just travel. Through providing sustainable tourism services and digital innovation, the JTB Group aims to contribute to the expansion of exchange between the people and help to solve existing issues at the destination.

• 

  Nakul Anand

  Executive Director, ITC Limited (India)

  As Executive Director on the board of ITC Ltd., Nakul Anand is in charge of the hospitality, travel & tourism businesses of ITC which is an Indian Conglomerate with diversified businesses. As an Economic (Hons) graduate from Delhi University, holding a distinction of an AMP Degree from Bond University (Australia), Nakul Anand has been recognized as the "Corporate Hotelier of the World 2019" by Hotels USA magazine. He is also a recipient of the 'Green Hotelier' award by the International Hotel & Restaurant Association (IH&RA) and a United Nations officially recognized worldwide industry body. He has also been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by HICSA (Hotel Investment Conference-South Asia). Nakul Anand is a firm advocate of the sustainable business model of hoteliering, as the way forward for the industry. His commitment to the environment is evident in the abiding principle of 'Responsible Luxury' applied at ITC Hotels, which is acknowledged as the World's largest chain with maximum number of LEED Platinum Certified Properties.He held positions in many of the World's & Indian premier tourism & travel body like the World Tourism & Travel Council -India Chapter (WTTCII), President of the Hotel Association of India (HAI) and Chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)-National Committee on Tourism. Currently, Nakul Anand is the Chairman of the Apex Tourism body in India, FAITH (Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality), an umbrella organization of the Top 10 travel & hospitality associations. He is also a Member of the India-Sri Lanka CEOs Forum, Council Member & Executive Committee Member of the National Culture Fund, Ministry of Culture, Government of India, and a Member of the Senior Advisory Council of the Sustainability Hospitality Alliance.

• 

  Maddalena Fossati

  Editor-in-Chief of La Cucina Italiana and Condé Nast Traveller Italy

  Editor-in-chief of La Cucina Italiana and Head of Content of Condé Nast Traveller Italia, Maddalena Fossati, joined Condé Nast in 2010, working for Vanity Fair as lifestyle editor. Previously, Maddalena worked at Elle & Elle Decor focused on traveling, food, and design trends. For more than ten years, she was based in Paris and Barcelona contributing to Vogue Italia, Marie Claire, Grazia, and D La Repubblica. She also contributed to the creation of the first fashion dictionary edited by Baldini & Castoldi, "Dizionario della Moda". She authored a book, "Mille Miglia" for Chopard and the Antonio Guida food book "La mia cucina" (Mandarin Oriental). In addition to her experience in print media, Fossati hosted six episodes of the TV show "Sapore Italiano" (2019) for Food Network. She has developed events for the Milan Design Week including the Laundry by Vanity Fair and the Nap Room. Madame Chevalier of the Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne for her knowledge of Champagne and French culture. Meritorious Ambasciatore del Gusto, she is working to ensure that Italian home cooking becomes an intangible asset of humanity protected by Unesco. She recently became a global sustainability ambassador for Condé Nast, the only Italian representative of the group. Maddalena loves traveling to Japan, Hawaii, New York, Paris, Spain and, of course, Italy. And then running, airports and wines. She is a proud mum of Leonardo, a seven year old boy, who is already a food lover.

「Scaling up for the SDGs: Final of the 3rd UNWTO Global Gastronomy Tourism Startup Competition」

15:00 - 16:00

Following a brief presentation by UNWTO providing insight on how the entrepreneurial ecosystem and its key stakeholders can collaborate to achieve the SDGs while ensuring revenue, scale and sustainability in tourism and food industries; selected finalists from the 3rd UNWTO Gastronomy Tourism Startup Competition, in collaboration with BCC will pitch their ideas to the audience, showcasing their gastronomy and tourism-based solutions in policy, in practice, in communities - but moreover, in sustainable action. A jury will deliberate and select the winner of the challenge to be announced at the end of the session.

Moderation and introduction

• 

  Addaia Arizmendi

  Senior Specialist in Innovation, Innovation, Education and Investments Department, UNWTO

  Addaia is currently working to expand opportunities in the Innovation and Education and Investments Department at the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. For the past 9 years she has been focusing on the design and implementation of sustainable tourism development initiatives through public-private collaboration, currently with a focus on innovation. She has worked extensively in the development of initiatives aimed at consolidating public-private alliances to achieve the sustainable development goals along with member relations, education in tourism, gastronomy tourism, adventure tourism, and, now, applying them to innovation and digital transformation strategies. She has worked actively in mentoring and capacity building for startups in tourism. She holds a dual bachelor's degree in Political Science and Human Rights with a Master's degree in International Relations. Her prior experience includes working with NGOs and international organizations.

• 

  Ander López Delgado

  Entrepreneurship Manager, Basque Culinary Center

  Industrial Organization Engineer (Undergrad + Double MsC) with experience in strategic consulting and operational roles in technology startups. In addition, he was also part of the founding team of Basque Startups, the association that promotes the Basque Country's technology and startup ecosystem.He is currently the Entrepreneurship Manager at the Basque Culinary Center, the best knowledge center in gastronomic sciences and food in the world. His day-to-day activities include helping to create, scale and internationalize startups in the areas of foodtech, agritech, restech, delivery, food sciences, among others.

Presentations

• 

  Serkan Toso

  Co-Founder, Byfood (Japan)

  Born in Bursa, the fourth largest city in Turkey, Serkan Toso is the youngest of eight siblings. While attending a vocational high school, he joined the 1.5 million students taking the entrance examination for university. Out of all students in Turkey, he ranked 2512, and was accepted by the prestigious Boğaziçi University, which he received scholarships from to attend.As a student, Serkan joined the Euro Mediterranean Youth Association, a youth organization that facilitated cultural exchanges for students. Students would get together to talk about global issues like unemployment and gender equality, and have cultural nights for each country. Serkan also got involved with One Young World in 2013. There, he was able to hear the stories of inspiring young people who were contributing to their communities. It planted the idea in his mind to create his own company that would contribute to society. During university, Serkan took internships at IBM and Turkcell (Turkey's largest telecommunication company), and after graduating, he worked at Turkcell full time in digital marketing. In September 2015, he moved to Japan to get a master's degree in e-business management. He hadn't planned to stay in Japan, but he got job offers from two different e-commerce companies, so he stayed to work for a year and a half in digital marketing, before starting his own business.Launched in January 2018, byFood began as "Tokyo by Food," a booking platform for food experiences in Tokyo. A lifelong volunteer interested in solving social issues, Serkan integrated a donation system into his business model, pledging to give 10 school lunches to children in Cambodia for each person who booked a food experience. In recognition of this commitment, Tokyo by Food was chosen as one of the world's top social initiatives by One Young World in April 2018.

• 

  Denitsa Georgieva and Mariya Kyoseva

  Local Food (Bulgaria)

  Local Food was co-founded by two Bulgarian women - Denitsa Georgieva and Mariya Kyoseva. Denitsa has a degree in environmental science and 10 years of experience as a project manager at the Laboratory of Mathematical Chemistry in Burgas (Bulgaria). She was responsible for computer modelling of environmental properties of chemicals for the European Chemicals Agency, Environment and Climate Change Canada, L'Oreal. Mariya is a certified Corda developer. She has 15 years of experience as a full stack developer and an MBA in Financial Management.

• 

  Anahit Galstyan

  Director of Operations and Strategy, 2492 Armenia (Armenia)

  Anahit sees beyond the status quo and believes in what can be, not what it is. She describes herself as a disruptive influence for positive change, an attitude and way of living she has taken with her around the world, both in professional contexts to reach sustainability goals, and personally to amplify local voices in Armenia, Kosovo, and Central America, where she has led diverse groups of changemakers to improve standards of living in the face of diverse challenges.

• 

  Karola Maria Viteri Arturo

  Founder, Filo Colombia (Colombia)

  Karola is the founder of Tenemos FILO, the first digital platform for culinary bookings in LATAM. After starting her career in the hotel industry and taking her first steps in entrepreneurship with a food distribution company; Karola takes up her passion for food and culture and adds a digital touch. Today www.tenemosFILO.com is a digital market for culinary experiences that seeks to collaboratively share the culinary diversity of Colombia and the Latin American region.Graduated from the Hospitality Faculty of the Universidad San Francisco de Quito, MBA from the Universidad de los Andes in Colombia and fellow of the United States Government YLAI program. She is CEO of TenemosFILO, a part-time commercial consultant for culinary projects and mentor of small food entrepreneurs.

• 

  Sangjin Park

  Founder, Beyondnext (Republic of Korea)

  Sangjin Park is a strong believer that vegetarian restaurants and products can protect human health, the future of the planet, and animal rights. Sangjin Park attended the SUNGkyunkwan University in Seoul to study Business Administration and Law. He also took a Social Entrepreneurship MBA at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST), Daejeon. He has been vegetarian for more than 15 years and worked in several projects (Netstory; Nexon Korea) before launching his own solo project in 2017, Beyondnext. Beyondnext is a restaurant and food product marketplace platform intended to provide vegan and vegetarian food-based content. The company provides information on various vegetarian food options from different brands and restaurants and features the ability to buy them directly from its website, enabling consumers to stay fit and healthy by eating nutritious food.

• 

  Mauro Germani

  CEO & Co-founder, Soplaya (Italy)

  Entrepreneur with a background in engineering and marketing, passionate about food and automation, he has worked in the food and hospitality industry for 10 years.Currently CEO and co-founder of Soplaya, the most diverse, efficient and sustainable B2B food supply chain in Europe connecting chefs and farmers directly. Growing 2-3x each year, with over 1000 chefs and 300 farmers, Soplaya has raised €4M from leading Venture Capital funds and sector experts.

14:30 - 15:30

Sharing lessons learned and conclusions from the fieldwork.

Moderator

• 

  David Mora

  Coordinator of the master's degree in Gastronomy Tourism, Basque Culinary Center

  David Mora has been chosen for three years (20/21/22) as one of the "Top 150 most influencing professionals in Spain's tourism". He started his career in the T&T industry in 1995. Since then, he had the chance to work on different activities such as destination marketing, hotel management, consulting, and UG and PG education. He holds a Diploma in Tourism by Universidad de Deusto (Spain), B.A. in Tourism by Universidad Nebrija (Spain) and a master's degree in Tourism Management by Bournemouth University (UK). He has managed several post-graduate studies in Tourism at different colleges and business schools. He currently is the coordinator of the master's degree in Food Tourism at Basque Culinary Center (San Sebastián, Spain). He has been involved in food and wine tourism-related projects since 2004 and very recently had the chance to visit Kyoto to take part on a bilateral event between Japan and Spain.

15:30 - 16:30

This session will consist of presentations showing examples of successful initiatives in gastronomy tourism, providing an ideal space for the exchange of expertise and for the development of projects that foster sustainable practices in gastronomy tourism.

Moderator

• 

  Iñaki Gaztelumendi

  Technical Coordinator, Basque Culinary Center

Speakers

• 

  Shogo Arai

  Governor of Nara Prefecture (Japan). Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Nara Prefecture Gastronomy Tourism World Forum

• 

  Fernando Honrado

  Managing Director of Eturia, public company for the promotion of Tourism and Crafts of Castilla la Mancha (Spain)

  As a tourism management professional, Fernando launched his career in areas such as tour operation and hotel management. He has been working in destination management for the last 20 years, and as a consultant in several initiatives linked with quality management and events. He is currently working as a Head Manager of the public company for the Promotion of Tourism and Craftwork of Castilla-La Mancha Region (Spain). Fernando was graduated in Tourism by the University of Murcia and Tourism Management Degree by the Madrid Official School of Tourism. He also holds several postgraduate degrees specialized in marketing, digitalization, and tourist destinations management. In the field of gastronomic tourism, he is responsible for projects such as Raíz Culinaria Castilla-La Mancha or Castilla-La Mancha Wine Routes and completed an online degree in Gastronomic Tourism by the Basque Culinary Center.

• 

  Michelle Fridman

  Secretary of Tourism of Yucatan (Mexico)

  Since 2018, she has been serving as the Minister of Tourism in Yucatan, where she has implemented a sustainable tourism development policy, bringing major tourism gains to the state, and achieving all-time records in most of the tourism indicators. During her term in office, Yucatán has received several awards, among them, Mérida as the Best Small City in the World by CondeNast Traveler. Yucatan also stands out for the organization of world-class events such as the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, the Tianguis Turístico and the Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants awards. Furthermore, due to the exponential growth of new tourism products, the attraction of private investment, the increase in air and maritime connectivity, the development of new tourist centers according to a decentralization and diversification model, Yucatan has achieved an important place among the industry. Through a renewed tourism brand and campaigns such as "Yucatan is Color" and "365 days in Yucatan", the destination has been positioned as a tourist reference in several markets, showcasing the enormous diversity of the state.

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  Sakina Asgarova

  Head of Gastronomy Tourism Management, Azerbaijan Tourism Board (Azerbaijan)

  As the head of Gastronomy Tourism Management of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Sakina Asgarova is an international trainer of the World Federation of Tourist Guides Association (WFTGA) and founder of Azerbaijan Tourist Guides Association. She was a tour guide for more than 10 years in all regions of Azerbaijan, mainly in the ethno-gastronomy field. Sakina gives trainings in various countries on the technical aspects of tour guiding, product development and implementing strategies to develop gastronomy tourism. She leads the team that recently developed the Slow Food Travel philosophy in Azerbaijan with the COVCHEG (Community-based Value Chain Enhancement in the Greater Caucasus Mountains) project, implemented together with Slow Food International and the European Union. This project aims to recognize and add value to the local culinary traditions of the North West region of the country and position Azerbaijan as a gastronomy tourism destination. Because of the achievements of this gastro-tourism concept, Azerbaijan is expanding the scale of its Slow Food Travel philosophy to the South region, in order to increase the role of biodiversity in communities. Currently, the main focuses of her professional career are a collaboration with Worldchefs for compiling a unified certification system for gastronomy industry members and establishing a culinary experience center.

16:30 - 16:50

16:50 - 17:30

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  Sandra Carvao

  Director Tourism Market Intelligence and Competitiveness, UNWTO

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  David Mora

  Coordinator of the master's degree in Gastronomy Tourism, Basque Culinary Center