【Impactful international platform】“International Gastronomy Forum, Macao” gathers nearly 50 Creative Cities from worldwide for exchange across fields

Organized by Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), the “International Gastronomy Forum, Macao” (the “Forum”) was convened today (23 March). Representatives of close to 50 members cities of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) in gastronomy and other fields jointly explored how collaboration across gastronomy and various fields can propel sustainable urban development. The discussions fostered exchange and learning among UCCN member cities, unleashing Macao’s strengths as an international exchange and cooperation platform while reinforcing the city’s status as a world centre of tourism and leisure.

Creative Fusion: Reimagining Gastronomy Beyond the Plate

As a major highlight of the “2026 International Cities of Gastronomy Fest, Macao”, the Forum capitalizes on UCCN to build an exchange platform that fosters the sustainable development of tourism, gastronomy and other fields in Macao and other global destinations, in turn making concerted progress in local tourism and gastronomy.

The Forum gathered representatives of 38 UNESCO Creative Cities of Gastronomy from 22 countries and ten Creative Cities in other fields, representatives of international organizations, experts and scholars from home and abroad, local tourism and catering industries as well as members of the public. About 280 people participated. Together with the collaborative partner South China Morning Post from Hong Kong, the Forum led insightful discussions around the theme of “Creative Fusion: Reimagining Gastronomy Beyond the Plate” on how to advance creative collaboration among gastronomy and other fields, uncovering the potential of gastronomy and creativity to shape a more vibrant, inclusive and forward-looking future for different cities.

MGTO Director and Macao SAR (China) Focal Point to UCCN, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Secretary of UCCN, Denise Bax, Chief Operating Officer of South China Morning Post, Kevin Huang, Coordinator of the Cities of Gastronomy Subnetwork of UCCN and Focal Point of Bergamo (Italy) to UCCN, Claudio Cecchinelli, together with keynote presentation speakers including the Project Officer for the UNESCO Creative Cities Network Programme, Qiaobo Ni, Head of Youth Culture and Food Heritage Programme in the Office of Youth and Women at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Flora Igoe, as well as Creators of YouTube Channels “Korean Englishman” and “Jolly”, Josh Carrott and Ollie Kendal, officiated the opening ceremony of the Forum.

Creative collaboration among gastronomy and other fields for sustainable future

Senna Fernandes remarked in her welcoming speech that the Forum is held in tandem with the “International Cities of Gastronomy Fest, Macao” once again this year, forging creative paths towards gastronomic preservation, innovation and exchange among Creative Cities of Gastronomy. The dialogues generate new momentum across creative fields, manifesting Macao’s strengths as a platform for international exchange and cooperation. Since the designation as a Creative City of Gastronomy in 2017, Macao has pressed forward to galvanize catering stakeholders and actioners from the creative sector to discover new possibilities together. The designation has also unveiled opportunities for Macao to collaborate with other member cities across different creative fields in new encounters. 2027 will mark the tenth anniversary of Macao’s designation as a Creative City of Gastronomy. Active preparations will be on the way to demonstrate the Creative City’s fruitful development and diverse capabilities to the world.

Secretary of UCCN, Denise Bax, expressed her belief that this year’s Forum theme embodies a truly innovative approach to collaboration. Inspired by the idea of creative fusion, it invites cities not only to blend diverse traditions, flavours and innovation, but also to push boundaries by linking gastronomy with other creative fields. In doing so, the Forum highlights the huge potential of cross disciplinary cooperation in addressing today’s urban challenges. Cities are complex ecosystems — ones that require holistic, integrated solutions to fully leverage culture and creativity for sustainable development.

Secretary General of Chinese National Commission for UNESCO, Qin Changwei, delivered a speech by video, highlighting that since joining the Network, Macao has been committed to steering its development forward as a Creative City of Gastronomy. Its international influence and appeal as a City of Gastronomy continues to grow, making significant contributions to Macao’s economic diversification. The Forum provides a wide exchange platform for Creative Cities of Gastronomy from worldwide. It is hoped that representatives of the Creative Cities can share their cities’ experiences in fostering development in creative fields around the theme of “Creative Fusion”, joining hands to propel the advanced and sustainable urban development through culture and creativity while continuously promoting cultural exchange around the world.

International organization representatives and top content creators share insights

Themed as “Future of Creative Cities: Cross-Sector Collaboration and Innovative Tourism”, “Cooking the Next Batch: From Craft to Influence” and “Resonance of Taste: Digital Pathways for Culinary Storytelling”, the three keynote presentations were delivered by four guest speakers. Project Officer for the UCCN Programme, Qiaobo Ni, presented how creative initiatives and cultural routes can deepen community engagement and drive sustainable tourism growth. Head of Youth Culture and Food Heritage Programme in the Office of Youth and Women at FAO, Flora Igoe, elaborated how the Young Chefs Program equips the next generation to drive youth-led sustainable development. Creators of YouTube Channels “Korean Englishman” and “Jolly”, Josh Carrott and Ollie Kendal, shared how to capture the cultural essence of gastronomy through the lens, crafting stories that transcend the dining table.

13 guests from Macao and other parts of the world engaged in inspiring dialogues in three breakout sessions. Representatives of Bergamo (Italy) Creative City of Gastronomy, Braga (Portugal) Creative City of Media Arts, Suphanburi (Thailand) Creative City of Music and Wuhan (China) Creative City of Design explored how festivals, events and immersive experiences can bring together gastronomy, design, media arts and music to shape vibrant tourism experiences around the topic of “Creative Cities in Dialogue: Blueprints for Creative-led Community Tourism”. Representative of Macao University of Tourism, Flora Igoe and three young chefs chosen to participate in FAO’s Young Chefs Programme, shed light on professional education and innovative mindset of young chefs and the catering sector under the topic of “Tradition to Innovation: Cultivating the Future of Culinary Leadership”. At the last session, four talented content creators joined hands with participants to weave stories, experiences and innovations into content that resonates with audiences in a workshop themed as “Culinary Content Creation in Practice: Strategies behind Million Views”.

Chinese Creative Showcase manifests vibrant appeal

As a special new highlight this year, the Forum featured the Chinese Creative Showcase. Seven member cities of UCCN from the Chinese mainland demonstrated their dynamic appeal in different creative fields, providing great examples of creative collaboration across gastronomy and other fields. The seven Cities include Creative Cities of Crafts and Folk Art – Jingdezhen, Suzhou and Weifang, Creative City of Media Arts – Changsha, Creative City of Film – Qingdao, Creative City of Design – Wuhan as well as Creative City of Music – Wuxi, which joined the Network in 2025.

UCCN members enhance exchange in Macao as a platform

The Exchange Meeting for UCCN Members and the Subnetwork Meeting for Creative Cities of Gastronomy were held in the afternoon after the Forum. Deputy Director of MGTO and other Macao SAR (China) Focal Point to UCCN, Cheng Wai Tong, presided over the exchange meeting, which adjourned with a concluding remark delivered by Secretary of UCCN, Denise Bax. Deepening international cooperation at the exchange meeting, delegates of various Creative Cities in different fields shared their remarkable practices and proposed cooperative initiatives on cross-sector collaboration, creative-led community tourism and experience economy, culinary leadership and other topics.

The Subnetwork Meeting for Creative Cities of Gastronomy ensued. Secretary of UCCN, Denise Bax, Coordinator of the Cities of Gastronomy Subnetwork of UCCN and Focal Point of Bergamo (Italy) to UCCN, Claudio Cecchinelli, and MGTO Director and Macao SAR (China) Focal Point to UCCN, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, joined the representatives of Creative Cities of Gastronomy from across the globe to exchange ideas and discuss future work plans through the online-offline meeting to keep expanding the Network’s influence, radiating Macao’s impact as an international platform and unveiling a window of opportunity for cultural exchange.

For the program and latest information of the “2026 International Cities of Gastronomy Fest, Macao” and the “International Gastronomy Forum, Macao”, please visit the themed website: https://www.macaotourism.gov.mo/en/article/events/gastronomy-fest-2026.