Thailand to host UNWTO food forum

BANGKOK Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports signed an agreement to host the fourth edition of UNWTO World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism in Bangkok next year.

The ministry’s permanent secretary, Pongpanu Svetarundra, inked the agreement last week with UNWTO general secretary, Taleb Rifai, during the third UNWTO World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism in San Sebastian, Spain.

The permanent secretary said: “Hosting the event will help to boost Thailand’s gastronomy tourism and promote the country’s food …the forum will also provide a theoretical academic discussion, knowledge exchange with food professionals and workshop in food resources to touch and experience way of life conveying to food menus.”

Thailand expects to showcase its potential in food security management and share its culinary arts to the world at this event, as part of the “Kitchen to the World” campaign.

The tourism ministry is collaborating with Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to reorganise street food by introducing walking streets in the evenings and zoning street food to clear pavements in tourist districts. It is not an outright ban on street food as widely claimed by the media, but a campaign to improve public hygiene such as providing clean running water to wash dishes and cook, raise cooking standards and reduce pavement congestion in certain areas of the city.

BMA and the Tourism Authority of Thailand said they were committed to promoting street food in a sustainable manner, especially in the areas of Yaowarat and Khao San roads. This would ensure good hygiene that complies with internationally standards.

Some of the measures that are under consideration are:

1. Street food vendors must strictly observe universal hygienic standards when preparing and serving food;
2. Food stalls should reflect local identity and be of a uniform format;
3. Current street food vendors can continue their businesses as long as they are operating in accordance with measures that aim to make street food a clean and sustainable feature of Bangkok;
4. BMA will organise training programmes for all street food vendors after which certain tests will also be conducted to ensure that they can operate according to BMA’s requirements;
5. Particular attention will be paid to dish cleaning and waste management and using water from containers rather than clean tap water will be strictly prohibited.

Tourism Authority of Thailand has also entered into a partnership with Michelin Travel Group to publish a Bangkok edition of the prestigious Michelin Guide. The first Michelin Guide Bangkok is expected to publish in December.

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