IGCAT - International Institute of Gastronomy, Arts and Tourism

Jury visit to Kvarner, candidate European Region of Gastronomy 2026 / DAY 4 The fourth day of the Jury visit opened with a traditional breakfast showcasing delicacies from Crikvenica riviera cuisine where the Jury met representatives from Crikvenica Tourist Board, Vinodol Tourist Board and Kvarner Wines Association.  On Crikvenica's waterfront they had the opportunity to join one of the activities organised in the framework of the Oily Fish Month, including educational workshops and games for school children to learn about local fish, as well as traditional crafts and gastronomy related to maritime heritage of the area.  The Jury appreciated the commitment of the region to excellently interpreting and valorising its historical, cultural and industrial heritage, highlighting strong links with the local food heritage, including the outstanding examples of Nova Kraljevica Castle on @The Routes of the Frankopans, that they visited with Kraljevica Tourist Board, and the Rijeka City Museum - Sugar Refinery Palace. Together with Rijeka Tourist Board the Jury explored the fish market and green market of Rijeka, European Capital of Culture 2020 and appreciated the multicultural heritage of the city that is reflected in the local cuisine, which they were able to taste at Na Kantunu. The Jury visit concluded at Kvarner Gourmet and JRE labelled Plavi podrum restaurant in Volosko, where they met ambassadors of Kvarner, candidate European Region of Gastronomy 2026, Daniela Kramarić and Kruno Kapetanović, as well as representatives from @kvarner region tourist board, Kvarner Wines Association, Rijeka Tourist Board and Opatija Tourist Board. We are profoundly thankful to our hosts and stakeholders from Kvarner, candidate European Region of Gastronomy 2026 for providing an excellent Jury visit and wish them the best of luck in view of IGCAT's coming decision on their title! #IGCAT #RegionsofGastronomy #regionaldevelopment #EUROPEANREGIONSOFGASTRONOMY #VisitKvarner

Jury visit to Kvarner, candidate European Region of Gastronomy 2026 / DAY 3 A guided tour of the enchanting Lošinj`s Fragrant Garden kick started the third Jury visit day to Kvarner. With over 200 species among authoctonous wild aromatic plants and exotic varieties, the garden offers memorable visitor experiences, as well as school activities for children to discover the local plant biodiversity. The jury had then the chance to hear about Lošinj Tourist Board's strategy to promote responsible tourism on their__ Island of Vitality__. By capitalising on a unique combination of natural resources, top-quality food products, history and cultural heritage, the island is working towards positioning itself as a leading sustainable and well-being destination in the Mediterranean, with the crucial involvement of the local community. At Lošinj Museum of Apoxyomenos the Jury witnessed an exceptional example of how storytelling and design can enhance local cultural heritage and generate outstanding visitor experiences that appeal to all the senses. While at Nerezinac Lugger sailing interpretation centre they explored the work of Kvarner Maritime Heritage to keep the seafaring and ship building tradition alive. Visiting the medieval town of Vrbnik on Krk island, the Jury participated in a demonstration of local home-made pasta “šurlice” and learned about Žlahtina wine, the most important product from the area, produced by 6 Vrbnik wineries under the Kvarner Wines quality label: Winery Nada, Katunar Estate Winery, Ivan Katunar Wine House, Gospoja Winery Šipun and Agricultural Cooperative Vrbnik. The jury was accompanied by Egle Katunar ambassador of Kvarner, candidate European Region of Gastronomy 2026 and Žarko Stilin representative of the stakeholder Wines Association of Kvarner, as well as Director of the Vrbnik Tourist Board, and Kvarner region tourist board. The final stop of the day was at Restaurant Dida in the town of Crikvenica, where the Jury learned about the Oily Fish Route project promoted by Crikvenica Tourist Board, a commendable initiative to promote locally fished varieties of oily fish both to visitors and the local community. The Jury was particularly impressed by the focus on education and school children, to raise their awareness about the local fishing tradition and healthy eating. They also had the opportunity to taste wines produced by Winery Pavlomir and Grand village estate winery with indigenous grape varieties. They were accompanied by ambassador and owner of Terme selce clinic, Vlasta Brozičević MD and representatives from Kvarner Region Tourist Board, Wines Association of Kvarner, Crikvenica Tourist Board and Jadran Hotels & Camps . A huge thank you to our hosts and stakeholders from Kvarner, candidate European Region of Gastronomy 2026! #IGCAT #RegionsofGastronomy #regionaldevelopment #EUROPEANREGIONSOFGASTRONOMY #Kvarner

The jury commended the work of the Kvarner Tourism Board ( Visit Kvarner ) in engaging accommodation providers, food and wine producers, heritage managers, citizens, as well as educationalist across the region. https://lnkd.in/d67_QM9X #IGCAT #RegionsofGastronomy #regionaldevelopment #EUROPEANREGIONSOFGASTRONOMY #VisitKvarner

Jury visit to Kvarner, candidate European Region of Gastronomy 2026 / DAY 2 - Part 2 Continuing their visit on Cres island, the Jury appreciated the efforts of local producers and small businesses to protect the heritage and traditions of the island and had the pleasure to meet: Ruta Wool&Design Association, that creatively repurposes local wool to make souvenirs and other products, and offers workshops for visitors, as well as educational activities for school children; and a dairy farm in Loznati, producing excellent organic sheep and goat cheeses. At Bukaleta restaurant, that preserves traditional recipes based on local ingredients, they discussed the challenges of keeping Cres island as an unspoilt destination and enticing young people back into agriculture with the mayor of the City of Cres. The amazing day of visits concluded at Restaurant Alfred Keller at Villa Alhambra that holds the Kvarner Gourmet quality label and 1 Michelin star. The Jury learned about the local wines made with autochthonous varieties accompanied by Wines Komadina and representatives from Lošinj Tourist Board and Kvarner region tourist board. Finally, they got to taste Lošinjski krokant Crocantessa by Moby Dick Gelateria and pasticceria, winner of the Best Innovation on Tradition category of IGCAT's World Food Gift Challenge 2024. A huge thank you to our hosts and stakeholders of Kvarner, candidate European Region of Gastronomy 2026! #IGCAT #RegionsofGastronomy #regionaldevelopment #EUROPEANREGIONSOFGASTRONOMY #Kvarner

Jury visit to Kvarner, candidate European Region of Gastronomy 2026 / DAY 2 After a greeting by Opatija Tourist Board (Visit Opatija) and a short tour of Opatija to discover its origins as a renowned climatic resort town and the oldest tourism destination in Croatia, the jury was hosted at the Faculty of tourism and hospitality management (@Fakultet za menadžment u turizmu i ugostiteljstvu Sveučilišta u Rijeci), one of the main stakeholders in the candidacy of Kvarner to the European Region of Gastronomy 2026 title. They learned about the faculty's pivotal role in defining the Action Plan for the Development of Gastronomy in the Kvarner Region aimed at sustainably advancing the local gastronomy sector by ensuring quality and diversity of the regional offer, involving the local community and promoting the region as a food destination nationally and internationally. The @Beekeepers Association of Primorje-Gorski kotar County introduced to the Jury its multiple activities and their efforts to reach the local community, school children, as well as visitors to raise the profile of locally-produced, top-quality honey. Rab Tourist Board (Rab The Happy Island ) presented Rab Island's richness of specific food products and natural resources that are at the basis of their tourist offer. On the island of Cres, the jury visited an historical olive grove where Tourist Board of the City of Cres (Visit Cres )and Agricultural Cooperative Cres, that gathers 60 small producers, explained the symbiotic relationship between sheep, olive trees and bees on the island. They discovered some of the key products in the area, including Cres extra virgin olive oil PDO, made exclusively with indigenous varieties by Macmalić olive oil (@olive_oil_cres) and delicacies, and sage honey. We are so grateful to our hosts and stakeholders of Kvarner, candidate European Region of Gastronomy 2026! #IGCAT #RegionsofGastronomy #regionaldevelopment #EUROPEANREGIONSOFGASTRONOMY #Kvarner

IGCAT's Jury Visit to Kvarner (Croatia) to assess their readiness to hold the European Region of Gastronomy title in 2026, kicked off on 13 May. In the mountainous area of Gorski Kotar they had the opportunity to explore the highland cuisine and learn about local honeydew producing and beekeeping at Hotel "Bitoraj" Fužine Croatia , accompanied by representatives of @Gorski kotar Tourist Board, Fužine Municipality (Tourist info Fužine) and Kvarner Region Tourist Board (@visitkvarner) and official ambassador of Kvarner, candidate European Region of Gastronomy 2026 Marinko Kauzlarić. After a short visit to Vrelo Cave, the Jury got to know about House of nature Kotač's (Kuća prirode Kotač ) liqueurs, produced with local herbs foraged from the forest and meadows, at Restoran "Eva", Lokve Welcomed by Kastav tourist board, the jury concluded the day at Kukuriku Heritage Hotel and Restaurant in Kastav where they experienced the local richness of fresh fish and seafood prepared by chef and official ambassador of Kvarner Nenad Kukurin. Through the Kvarner wines association and two of its members ( Winery Ružić and OPG Plovanić vina ) the jury understood the crucial role of wine tourism in safeguarding authoctonous grape varieties and producing top quality wines that can only be found in the Kvarner region, such as Jarbola and Belica. We thank profoundly the stakeholders that joined the dinner: Primorje-Gorski kotar county, Kvarner Region Tourist Board, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management, and official ambassador Davor Andrić from Rab island. #IGCAT #RegionsofGastronomy #regionaldevelopment #EUROPEANREGIONSOFGASTRONOMY #kvarner

On 14-15 May 2024 they will organise the second Global Roundtable for Tourism Climate Action. The Community of Practice for Tourism Climate Action sessions are designed as a strategic and focused platform to bring together key stakeholders – signatories and member states/climate focal points – who play a critical role in shaping and influencing climate action within the tourism sector. https://lnkd.in/dPf4N2Sm UN Tourism - One Planet network - 10YFP #IGCAT #CLIMATEACTION #sustainability

An opportunity to gather high quality local products, producers and artisans under the same roof, the fair also hosted local and national chefs to ensure a delightful experience for around 5,000 visitors that crowded the Palais des Congrès du Touquet-Paris-Plage. https://lnkd.in/dKMbeqVy #IGCAT #RegionsofGastronomy #EuropeanRegionsofGastronomy

EN: Gastronomy as a key to local development, cross-sectoral collaboration, engaging local communities, the importance of education and life-long learning to secure a sustainable future, were among the topics discussed at the 10th IGCAT Experts Meeting hosted by Aseer, World Region of Gastronomy awarded 2024 https://lnkd.in/dhjqbJcE ES: La gastronomía como clave del desarrollo local, la colaboración intersectorial, la participación de las comunidades locales, la importancia de la educación y el aprendizaje permanente para garantizar un futuro sostenible, fueron algunos de los temas debatidos en la 10ª Reunión de Expertos de la IGCAT organizada por Aseer, Región Mundial de la Gastronomía galardonada con el premio 2024. #IGCAT #RegionsofGastronomy #WorldRegionsofGastronomy #education #sustainablefuture

The prestigious Bocuse d'Or Europe 2024 was an opportunity for Trondheim-Trøndelag, European Region of Gastronomy awarded 2022 to steal the limelight once again on the international gastronomy scene. https://lnkd.in/dHAjFqPF #IGCAT #RegionsofGastronomy #EuropeanRegionsofGastronomy