The European Sweets Itineraries (ESI) is a European project co-funded by the European COSME programme which aims to offer new educational itineraries for international VETs schools through the production of local sweets in regional areas of Portugal, Italy, and Spain, tested by students from Latvian Hospitality schools.
The final partnership meeting and the public dissemination event of the ESI project took place in Madrid, 7-8 February 2017. The partner reports presented professional outcomes and concluding recommendations in order to pursue new opportunities resulting from this programme.
IGCAT presented recommendations resulting from the itinerary in Catalonia and pointed out the strengths of involving SMEs in a process that benefits both them and the territory as a whole. Dr. Diane Dodd, President of IGCAT presented the European Regions of Gastronomy and stressed the opportunity for skills transfer and developing Sweets Itineraries with other Regions of Gastronomy in the Platform coordinated by IGCAT. Furthermore, the partners agreed that IGCAT registers the trademark in order to safeguard the legacy of the project and to explore the project’s future.
A public dissemination event took place at the Headquarter of the European Commission in Spain, where the partners presented their model itineraries to different representatives of national and international public authorities, professors, researchers, students from VETs schools. On behalf of IGCAT, Jordi Vegas presented the Catalan Sweet Itinerary that had given students a diversity of culinary experiences and explored the coastal towns of Llavaneras, Sant Pol de Mar, and Tossa de Mar.
The European Sweets Itineraries involves partners from the Comunidad de Madrid (ES), Umbria (IT), Abruzzo (IT), Lisbon region (PT), Oeste Region (PT) and Alentejo (PT) and has been developed with the long-term aim to increase tourism flows in low/medium seasons for youth and professionals in Europe with an emphasis on gastronomy and culture.
About IGCAT
IGCAT (International Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Arts and Tourism) is an international network of experts that aim to guide, facilitate and support leaders in cities, regions and cultural projects to understand the potential of their distinct food, culture, arts and sustainable tourism assets.