Francisco de Calheiros, Coordinator of Minho IN, the consortium named European Region of Gastronomy 2016, kicked of the year with an appearance on TV1 Portugal. Francisco de Calheiros who has also been named Ambassador for the European Region of Gastronomy, was invited to TV 1 Portugal to talk about the plans to celebrate Minho’s year as European Region of Gastronomy 2016. He explained the importance of this award for the region for promoting local products and raising standards and that the year counts on dozens of initiatives to promote food diversity in Minho. During the programme he also showed some of Minho´s traditional products. He was joined on the programme by Joaquim Ribeiro, Executive at Porto and North of Portugal Tourism Regional Entity, Vice President at AHRES and President of the AHRESP Sector for Hospitality and Tourist Resorts. Mr Ribeiro noted that gastronomy is an important motivation for visitors that are increasingly seeking diverse food tourism offers.
The European region of Gastronomy award is presented to 2-3 regions each year by IGCAT (International Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Arts and Tourism) to highlight distinctive food cultures, educate for better health and sustainability and stimulate gastronomic innovation.