The TurisTIC Forum, the conference on innovation and the application of technology to the tourism industry organised by the Eurecat technology centre, today picked out innovative experiences in culinary and wine tourism which foster the new paradigm of regenerative tourism by activating relationships between visitors and local communities to generate shared value and restore natural and socio-cultural resources.
“Tourism is a system which is integrated into many other ecological and socio-economic systems on which it relies,” said Conscious Travel founder Anna Pollock. This means we need to take a “living systems approach to the tourism and hospitality industry, not only to rework its core operating model but also to support the wellbeing of host communities and the guests they welcome and accommodate.”
Culinary tourism can help towards “consolidating creative, responsible, sustainable and resilient destinations,” added Daniel Altimiras, Eurecat’s Chair, noting that “digitalisation and running innovative and unique projects with emerging technologies is crucial to make progress in transforming the industry to ensure the tourism business and undertakings are competitive.” Furthermore, “it is crucial that the tourism industry has indicators in place to monitor its economic, social and environmental challenges while technologies such as artificial intelligence offer numerous opportunities to enhance the experience, optimise processes and improve business management.”
Cristina Lagé, Director General of Tourism for the Government of Catalonia, pointed to the importance of cuisine as an asset that “bolsters the identity of our region and helps us explain who we are.” She welcomed Catalonia’s recognition as a World Gastronomy Region 2025, arguing that “Catalonia is living its best culinary moment ever because of the whole value chain which with a lot of hard work has made our region a global leader in food and wine tourism.”
“Food and wine tourists spend 30 per cent more than conventional tourists,” revealed Miquel Rodríguez, Barcelona City Council’s Economic Development Manager. “This confirms Barcelona City Council’s belief that strategic promotion of this sector is essential. Innovation projects backed by the council such as FoodLab also help to make Barcelona even more of a global pacesetter in quality, locally sourced gastronomy.”
“Food and wine is not a product which can be imposed top down; it is a story that comes from the people, the landscape and the local identity,” commented Ana Herrera, Barcelona Provincial Council Deputy Member for Tourism. “This is why Barcelona Provincial Council supports local authorities in building their own tourism strategy, one that is deeply rooted and meaningful, using tools such as technical advice and funding, coordinating special projects and providing opportunities for forging networks and partnerships.”
Organised by the Eurecat technology centre and sponsored by the Government of Catalonia, Barcelona City Council and Barcelona Provincial Council, the TurisTIC Forum pointed to culinary and wine tourism as activities associated with local produce, heritage and culture, innovation in food design and the application of technological solutions for creating innovative food and wine tourism experiences in the year in which Catalonia has been named World Gastronomy Region 2025.
Toni Massanés, Director General of the Alícia Foundation who presented the conference, commented that “culinary tourism is more responsible precisely because it seeks the values of environment, biodiversity, spreading tourism across the year and cultural heritage associated with local cuisine and agri-food production.”
The 13th TurisTIC Forum was held at the TBS Education Auditorium and brought together tourism, innovation and technology development enterprises, institutions, organisations and trade associations who learned about special projects delivering environmentally and people-friendly innovation solutions.
Special projects in food and wine tourism
One of the solutions showcased at the conference was the Aisee app which scans actual ingredient lists in any language and country and interprets them in real time by harnessing artificial intelligence to provide users with clear answers based on their personalised profiles including allergies, intolerances, restrictions and cultural preferences.
In wine tourism experiences and digitalisation, Eurecat unveiled the Enotour project in which it is working with wineries in Spain, Italy, Portugal and France to develop a promotional tool to advertise products and tourist experiences through self-generated narratives and content and technologies using immersive virtual tours.
Likewise, in environmental sustainability Effiwaste has presented a technological solution for the tourism and hospitality industry to move towards circular cuisine by optimising kitchen processes. The platform combines smart food waste measurement, menu digitalisation through smart labelling and waste treatment with automatic composters.
Similarly, the Global Destination Sustainability Movement has reported on a food sustainability training initiative to prevent food waste in restaurants in Barcelona organised by the Joint Office for Sustainable Food (OCAS) together with the Government of Catalonia and Barcelona Markets which promoted waste prevention plans in restaurants and central kitchens through knowledge transfer and best practices.
In terms of culinary innovation, the Makeat Barcelona gastronomic innovation centre has shown how innovation and creativity applied to food can turn the tourist experience into a multi-sensory and memorable one and help craft a new way of doing hospitality which is more mindful, human and unique. The centre presented examples of tools blending science, technology, creativity, design and craftsmanship to enhance culinary expression and expand the boundaries of the sensory experience.
Technological solutions and innovations by Celler Mas Llunes, Cava Bertha, the Museum of Wine Cultures, Plat Institute, Vivential Value, YouGov Spain, MindChef, Too Good To Go, the Alimara Living Lab at CETT Barcelona and Creative Food Studio Bcn have demonstrated the potential of applying technology and creativity in food and wine tourism.
