Saborea España and CEAV (the Spanish Confederation of Travel Agencies) held yesterday a professional event for travel agencies in which gastronomy took centre stage. The main goal of the meeting was to inspire travel professionals, present new product ideas and reinforce the role of agencies as key prescribers of quality tourism experiences.
The event was opened by Juan Manuel Guimeráns, representing Saborea España, who underlined the purpose of the day:
“We wanted agencies to leave this event with concrete ideas they can turn into real products, but also with a renewed perspective on how to sell Spain through its flavours, its culture and its territories. Gastronomy is one of the main gateways to our country.”
During the session, participants discovered first-hand the tourism and gastronomic offer of nine destinations with strong gastronomic appeal: Cambrils, Ciudad Real, Cullera, Dénia, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Segovia, Seville and Valladolid. Each destination presented its key assets, local products, gastronomic routes and experiences specially designed to be integrated into packages, short breaks and tailor-made trips.
A programme focused on product and inspiration
The agenda was structured in different blocks to balance inspirational content and commercial focus:
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Destination presentations: The nine destinations showcased their main culinary resources, food festivals, quality-labelled products, as well as getaway ideas and package proposals that agencies can easily incorporate into their catalogues.
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Signature gastronomic experiences: Activities such as showcookings, market visits, meetings with local producers, tapas routes, cooking workshops and experiences in renowned restaurants – both traditional and avant-garde – were highlighted.
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Professional networking space: Agencies, destinations and partner entities enjoyed dedicated time to exchange contacts, explore cooperation opportunities and discuss real market needs.
The event also allowed destinations to present concrete examples of products already on the market and success stories where gastronomy has helped to fight seasonality, increase average spend and attract travellers who are more interested in local culture.
Stays and travel to experience the destinations first-hand
As part of the programme, each of the nine destinations raffled a weekend stay for two people among the attending agencies, so that professionals can experience first-hand the gastronomic proposals they will later recommend to their clients.
Thanks to the support of sponsors Iryo and Vueling, these prizes also include free transport to each destination, offering a complete experience that combines travel, accommodation, gastronomy and discovery of the territory.
“It is essential for agencies to know the destination not only on paper, but on the ground. Once they have experienced the product, their ability to recommend and sell it multiplies,” CEAV representatives underlined.
Gastronomy, business and added value for agencies
The event highlighted the potential of gastronomic tourism as a tool to:
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Differentiate the offer of travel agencies in a highly competitive market.
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Create tailor-made products combining culture, territory and local cuisine.
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Increase the perceived added value for the final customer.
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Reduce seasonality and attract travellers throughout the year.
Throughout the day, speakers insisted on the key role of travel agencies as experience curators, capable of turning a simple booking into a trip full of stories, flavour and meaningful encounters with the gastronomy of each destination.
“ It has been an inspiring event, with excellent gastronomy and great networking opportunities to keep tasting new business possibilities for agencies. The positive feedback from professionals encourages us to continue working together to promote gastronomic tourism,” the organisers concluded.
