Albufeira hosts, from 8 to 10 November, the XVII European Congress of Wine and Gastronomic Confraternities, with the theme “Sabores do Mar Português”.
The event was presented last Wednesday, March 14, in full Lisbon Tourism Exchange (BTL), event in which the Sul Informação marked presence.
The objective of the Congress is to defend agri-food products from Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Hungary, Greece, Belgium and Macau.
According to José Manuel Alves, grandmaster of the Confraria dos Gastronomos do Algarve, this European Congress is estimated to be attended by «about 700 people, coming from 100 brotherhoods and eight countries».
"It will perhaps be the biggest congress that has been held in Europe to date", said the official.
For this Congress, the organization has a partnership with the Algarve Tourism Region. João Fernandes, president of this entity, stressed that gastronomy is seen as “a strategic product”.
«When we develop a promotional action, we make a point of including gastronomy as a theme for sun and sea, golf and nature tourism». João Fernandes believes that this is an “initiative that brings knowledge and recognition”.
"We feel good at the table, we share a healthy coexistence, ideas for our daily lives, we make friends and it is much easier for us to build bridges in a world that builds walls," he said.
This European Congress will discuss the challenges of wine, gastronomy and its products that the European Confraternities are faced with.
This is not the first time that Albufeira hosts an event of this dimension. Also in 2011, the Algarve city hosted a European Congress.
2019 is, thus, «an epilogue of what happened in 2011», as José Carlos Rolo, mayor of Albufeira and also a confrere, stressed.
«Gastronomy is one of Albufeira's values as a tourist destination. This congress, through the confraternities with wide scope at the international level, will bring several guests to our city», considered the mayor.
And so the curiosity for future visits is aroused. «People are left with the knowledge of the destination and can think about coming here for a vacation», illustrated José Carlos Rolo.
One of the highlights of the Congress is the sharing lunch in which each brotherhood takes its products so that everyone can enjoy the best of each region present.
The cataplana by chef Henrique Leandro, oranges from the barrocal and the wines from Adega do Cantor were given to visitors to taste.
Albufeira also took advantage of BTL to present a new promotional video for the municipality.
«This is a strong commitment of the Municipality in the scope of tourist promotion and dissemination. The video shows, through magnificent landscapes, what the county has to offer: breathtaking beaches, traditional gastronomy, the sounds of nature, the pure and fresh air of the Barrocal, outdoor sports, the art that born from the hands of artisans, events that bring the best of other cultures, nightlife. These are images that refer to the privilege of being able to enjoy all these sensations», highlighted José Carlos Rolo.
Albufeira also signed a protocol with APAL - Albufeira Promotion Agency, with the aim of giving
continuity of the actions carried out by the agency in the tourist promotion of the county, in the internal and external market.
«APAL has been presenting a growing work in the development of activities to support the promotion of the «Albufeira» brand, through the dissemination of regional products at fairs, congresses and both national and international events”, said José Carlos Rolo.
The Municipality, founding partner of APAL, contributes to the agency with a budget of 87 euros for 2019. The protocol was signed by the mayor of Albufeira and José dos Santos, president of the board of APAL.
Photos: Pedro Lemos | Sul Informação and Albufeira Town Hall
Comments