The initiative is launched in the framework of the Spanish Capital of Gastronomy 2021, which since April has held more than a hundred activities in which almost 6,500 people have participated. The Regional Ministry of the Presidency, Tourism and Sports has launched the ‘Gastronomic Passport of the 1,001 Flavours of the Region of Murcia’ application to promote the hotel and catering industry as part of the celebration of the Spanish Capital of Gastronomy 2021 and, at the same time, invite citizens to enjoy the cuisine of the 45 municipalities of the Region. “Gastronomy is one of our greatest attractions in the field of tourism”, explained the regional minister, Marcos Ortuño, and “this is corroborated by the fact that more than 90 percent of tourists highlight the gastronomic product as one of the main attractions for visiting us”. The creation of this passport is part of the Regional Ministry’s strategy to “continue working for gastronomic tourism, for the promotion of ecological, sustainable and local gastronomy, as is the gastronomy of the Region of Murcia,” said Ortuño.
The digital tool provides information on the participating establishments and, at the same time, gives users the chance to obtain gifts and discounts on gastronomic experiences as they accumulate stamps in their passport. Nearly 500 gift bags of the ‘1,001 Flavours of the Region of Murcia’ and more than 100 gastronomic experiences will be distributed, with discounts of up to 30 euros. Membership of the passport, coordinated by the Institute of Tourism, will be free of charge for all catering establishments and points of sale of traditional local gastronomic products.
6,494 people have taken part since April in the hundred or so activities held throughout the Region as part of the Spanish Capital of Gastronomy. Some 2,500 in person and the rest online.
Some of the most significant were the ‘Cooking with your grandparent’ workshops, which visited more than 20 municipalities; ‘Chefs on the road’, which visited 13 towns; 18 wine tastings of wines from the Designations of Origin of Bullas, Jumilla and Yecla; 3 gastronomic forums ‘The territory on the plate’, with the newspaper La Verdad, (Cartagena, Yecla and Caravaca de la Cruz); presentations in Madrid, Bilbao, Santander and Gijón; 14 sessions of the cycle ‘The Orchard of the 1. 001 Flavours’ cycle, with 23 chefs; 20 ‘online’ workshops of the ‘Gastrojueves’ cycle; Calasparra Rice Week; and 13 videos of the ‘Science and Gastronomy’ programme.
In the coming months, 9 national and international fairs and forums are scheduled to be held to promote the Spanish Capital of Gastronomy with the presence of chefs.