The city of Launceston in Northern Tasmania earns some serious gourmet stripes with its designation as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy.
Here’s a city you may never have expected to possess some serious food chops – the city of Launceton, located in the northern part of Tasmania, Australia. But it does, according to UNESCO. The UN agency in November last year named Launceston as its newest UNESCO City of Gastronomy, affixing a delicious stamp of approval to the historic city for its vibrant culinary scene.
The criteria for the award recognition is manifold. The city under consideration would require a vibrant gastronomy community with many traditional restaurants and chefs, the use of indigenous ingredients applied to traditional cuisines, a tradition of hosting food-related festivals, and promotion of sustainable local products, among others. Launceston ticked off all the right boxes, earning it the right to join the likes of Macau, Hyderabad, Alba and others in an exclusive list of just 49 cities around the world.
The first ever City of Gastronomy title was awarded to Popayán in Colombia back in 2005, as part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, a program operating since 2004 which aims to strengthen cooperation among cities and help guide economic, social, cultural, and environmentally sustainable development.
Tourism Tasmania CEO John Fitzgerald believes the designation is validation of the efforts put in by the region’s chefs, producers and farmers to offer a truly amazing gastronomic experience. “This incredible achievement places Launceston firmly on the global stage, and cements the City as a bucket-list destination for culinary tourists seeking quality food, wine and produce,” declared Fitzgerald.
So if you’re a serious foodie who’ve never been to Tasmania, you may want to pencil in an eating trip to Launceston. We hear there are many farm-to-table experiences, cooking workshops and vineyard adventures to easily fill your itinerary… and tummies.
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