ONE in three visitors to the Comunidad Valenciana goes there for the food, a recent study claims.
During the Tourism and Cuisine Promotion Fair in Valencia, which is due to head to Bilbao, Sevilla and Madrid shortly and is an event aimed at professionals in the industry with conferences and debates, the conclusion reached was that 'food holidays' is a growing worldwide trend.
And in the case of the Valencia region, the local wines and 'authentic' paella are among the main tourism magnets, along with its mild climate and hot summers.
Conference leaders say society in general is 'more concerned about what they eat' these days, and have 'increasingly more sophisticated tastes' – and tourism is 'merely a reflection of what happens in wider society'.
“You only have to see how cooking programmes on TV lead in the ratings,” said culinary expert Iñaki Gaztelmendi, “and this forces holiday destinations to make a greater effort in providing higher-quality and more affordable cuisine.”
Last year, although the local food was 'not the main reason' for holidaymakers to travel to the Valencia region, 'culinary features were what was given the highest marks' by tourists surveyed.
Tourism bosses are now discussing package deals featuring on 'food and wine breaks' and events such as culinary fairs and tapas festivals with participating restaurants and bars offering set, reduced prices for a taste of their best dishes with a drink thrown in.
With Spain coming out of its worst recession in history, a small number of bars and restaurants are choosing to re-open or renovate their premises, updating their offers, as they are seeing that 'customers are starting to come back', said secretary-general of Saborea España ('taste Spain'), Emilio Gallego.
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