Seminar brainstorms ways to keep Phetchaburi’s status as a Unesco gastronomy city
A road map is being implemented to ensure Phetchaburi province will remain in the Unesco’s Creative Cities Network of Gastronomy, the Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (Public Organisation) said.
Group Captain Athikhun Kongmee, director of the organisation, said Phetchaburi was accepted as a member of the Unesco Creative Cities Network (UCCN) of Gastronomy late last year but it still has challenges to retain its UCCN status.
Athikhun said his organisation last week joined hands with the Phetchaburi provincial administration, Silpakorn University, and Phetchaburi Rajabhat University to hold an online seminar to brainstorm ideas on how to further develop the province as a gastronomy UCCN city.
The seminar was held last week with some 300 attendants from both private and state agencies, including seven other UCCN member cities, which are Phuket, Sukhothai, Usuki (Japan), Tsuruoka (Japan), Chengdu (China), Macau (China), and Overstand (South Africa).
Speaking during the seminar, Phetchaburi Governor Natthawut Phetpromsorn said the provincial administration will implement a five-year road map to further develop Phetchaburi as a UCCN gastronomy city with sustainability.
For example, the provincial administration will encourage oyster farmers not to use rubber tyres as hosts for their oysters but they will be encouraged to use other organic materials.
The farmers will also be taught to be creative in making new dishes from their products.
The governor said the province will carry out at least 55 projects from 2022 to 2026 to further develop Phetchaburi as a gastronomy creative city.
During the seminar, Tatiyaporn Jarumaneerat, a representative of Phuket, said restaurant operators and local people need to be creative in making new dishes from the foods and they must turn to use social media as a channel to try to increase their income.
Representatives from the other UCCN gastronomy cities also shared the experience of management of their cities during the seminar.
Alexis Crump from Tsuruoka in Japan said the city gives priority to maintaining balance between human beings and nature.
She said the principle has been enforced from the origin to the destination of the food production chain.
Frieda Llyod from Overstrand in South Africa said being on the UCCN network allowed her city to become the centre of foods and tourism development in the region and has helped bring more income to the region.
