World Food Tourism Summit :: Street Food European Festival | Estoril

Publicado em: 27/04/2015

Tags/Temas:Évènements, Expositions & Conférences, Gastronomie & Vins, International

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Among the reasons that make Cascais a nice place to visit, discover or even live, gastronomy is one of the most important ones. This, together with the its unique history, landscape and climate, were more than enough reasons to make Estoril the chosen stage for hosting two of the most important and innovative events organised in Portugal and related to gastronomy.

World Food Tourism Summit brought to the Estoril Convention Centre a rich panel of national and international speakers, specialist in different areas related to gastronomic tourism and, simultaneously, Street Food European Festival, which transformed Estoril Casino’s gardens into a delicious space of outdoor tasting.

The Portuguese rich and diversified gastronomy has a valuable role in Portugal’s promotion abroad, both as a tourism destination and an ambassador in foreign lands. Conscientious of this fact, the Association Apetece assumes the mission of “contributing for the preservation and promotion of the national gastronomic heritage and is actively involved in the development of Culinary Tourism in Portugal”. Under this objective, Apetece has led the ambitious task of organising and undertaking in Estoril, Cascais, the World Food Tourism. This event, that occurred between 8th and 11th April attracted several specialists known worldwide in the area of gastronomic tourism, who came here both as speakers and participants. During these days different topics were widely discussed in a dynamic and interactive way, from current travel and tourism trends to gastronomic tourism trends, the relationship between bloggers and journalists and the role of each one of these stakeholders within communication for the masses, as well as the approach of street food as a growing and trendy business. Other relevant topics related to Food Tourism were also approached.
The importance of this congress, not only for Portugal but also for Cascais, can be quantified on its attendance. More than two hundred and fifty participants from twenty-six countries is something that speaks for itself. Once again, characteristics such as the proximity to the capital and to Lisbon’s international airport – only 25 minutes away – as well as Cascais’ strong investment on its positioning as a gastronomic destination, its history, Estoril-Cascais’ coast charm (known and renown throughout decades), as well as the quality of infrastructures available in the Estoril Convention Centre and hospitality services available to serve such a distinct and demanding audience, were key-conditions to assure that Cascais was the best possible location to host an initiative with this dimension and ambition.

The same reasons supported the organization of the very first Street Food European Festival in Portugal that occurred between 4th and 12th April in the Estoril Casino’s gardens. This initiative was a gastronomic show, integrated in the World Food Tourism Summit and was a pioneer in our country.

More than 55 Street Food caravans, from different origins, came to seduce people from every age and taste with their original and diversified offer. It is a new gastronomic concept, with great success in cities such as Lisbon, Berlin, Paris or London, with the main goal of showing that besides the traditional hot-dogs, sandwiches or kebabs, the food supply from itinerant caravans can also adopt an original version, with great quality and even a gourmet line.

These activities play an increasingly important role as tourism and restaurant activity agents for local economies, with impact on both attracting and retaining tourists and visitors, as well as catalysers of investment on the region. Cascais is everyday more focused on giving everything it can to provide visitors and residents a holistic and intimate perception of everything it characterises this region, identifies and characterises it – from history to culture, passing through quality of living and gastronomy. In this context, hosting the World Food Tourism Summit was, without any doubt, a strong contribution to this ambition, giving every speaker and participant, specially those who visited Portugal for the first time, a strong desire to return once again to taste and discover it more profoundly.

If you haven’t visited Cascais, neither have had the opportunity to taste our best dishes, especially our fish and fresh seafood, we invite you to come and discover, on a trip for the five senses, some of the culinary and gastronomic secrets that delight and surrender all of those who decide to try it. We don’t want to keep it all for ourselves.

1. Congresso 1. Convention