Dr. Jordi Tresserras
Director of LABPATC – Laboratory of Heritage, Creativity and Cultural Tourism, Faculty of Geography & History, Universitat de Barcelona
Jordi Tresserras is an expert in gastronomy and local development through culture, the creative economy, and sustainable tourism, with an extensive career in research, consultancy, and international collaboration.
He is currently the Director of LABPATC – Laboratory of Heritage, Creativity and Cultural Tourism, an initiative promoted by the IBERTUR Network and the Cultural Management Program of the University of Barcelona. In addition, he serves as a consultant for UNESCO on matters of culture, tourism, and sustainable development, working with the UNESCO offices in Mexico and Montevideo, covering Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
His international recognition is reflected in his appointment to various expert committees. He is a member of the Expert Commission on Culture of the Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI) for the 2024–2027 period, and serves on the Board of the European Network of Cultural Tourism (ECTN). He is also a member of the Advisory Committee of ICOMOS International (2024–2027) and Coordinator of the SIPAM Commission (Important Agricultural Heritage Systems) at ICOMOS Spain.
A dedicated advocate for the role of food in cultural identity and development, he is a founding member and board member of the UNESCO Chair on Food, Culture and Development, coordinated by the Open University of Catalonia (UOC). He also contributes as an expert for the Cultural Routes Program of the Council of Europe, and is part of the University Network of the European Institute of Cultural Routes.
In the field of gastronomy, he is a member of the Institut Català de la Cuina i la Cultura Gastronòmica Foundation, which promotes Cuina Catalana, the first certified regional cuisine brand in Europe. He is actively involved in the Science & Cooking World Congress Foundation, as part of the executive organisation team, and serves on the Honorary Board of the Sustainable Restaurants Foundation.
His work also supports local and regional development initiatives. He advises the Barcelona City Council’s Department of Commerce, Restaurants and Food on municipal policies for emblematic commerce in European cities (Barcelona, Lisbon, Paris, and Rome, 2023–2024), and is advisor to the Castelldefels Gastronomic Capital project, promoted by the City Council and the local hospitality guild. Castelldefels is a member of Food Capitals by Délice Network and a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy 2027 candidate.
He is currently advising on the articulation of the Cocoa and Chocolate Route, led by the Organization of Ibero-American States with support from the European Union and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID).
His academic research includes a project titled “The Cuisine of Barcelona”, which explores the city’s social and historical memory through gastronomy by examining family recipe books and emblematic establishments from the 19th century to the mid-20th century, focusing on the neighborhoods of La Mercè (Ciutat Vella), Barceloneta, and the Garraf coast.
Over the course of his distinguished career, he has received numerous accolades, including the Extraordinary Doctorate Award from the University of Barcelona (1997), the Merit Award for Tourism Research from the Mexican Secretariat of Tourism and the Network of Tourism Researchers of Mexico (2006), an Honorary Doctorate from the Autonomous University of Zacatecas “Francisco García Salinas” (Mexico, 2023), and the Isabel de Farnesio Award for Cultural Diplomacy (2025).
28 January 2016
