Benidorm launches a training guide aimed at the hospitality sector to promote gastronomic tourism

Benidorm has launched a guide aimed at the hospitality sector to promote gastronomic tourism in the city. This guide, which has been presented at Madrid International Tourism Fair (Fitur), emanates from the 2022 Gastronomic Tourism Acceleration Plan, developed with funds from 'Benidorm DTI + Seguro' Tourism Sustainability Plan.

The mayor, Toni Pérez, explained that "this guide has reflected the main issues that were addressed in the nine training days that were offered to the city's tourism sector between February and May of last year", and in which six thematic areas were worked on: Innovation and Specialization, Digital Transformation, Digital Marketing, New Scenarios, Tourism Sustainability, and Accessibility.

The mayor has stressed that "this guide serves as a roadmap for hospitality establishments to delve into their transformation and digitization"; an action that "has individual and global repercussions", since the establishment gains competitiveness and the destination benefits from the positioning of its gastronomic product, thus opening up new market niches.

In this guide "the hospitality sector will find keys, strategies, and marketing, digitization, innovation, and sustainability tools" to "face as greater and better guarantees the new demands of a tourist who, when planning their vacations, increasingly attaches greater importance to gastronomy”.

“As times and demands advance, the percentage of tourists and residents who expect something more than eating well from a lunch or dinner grows; they want to live an experience through gastronomy and the sector has to be prepared to respond to that expectation”, pointed out the mayor.

Toni Pérez stressed that "Benidorm has a long gastronomic history and a diversified, powerful, and quality sector that must be constantly updated to meet customer needs." "Gastronomy - he stated - is also a brand and for this reason, it is essential to provide the sector with the training resources that are necessary for the customer to have the best possible experience".

In this line of generating experiences, the I Benidorm Fest Tapas Contest is framed and promoted by the Association of Bars, Restaurants, and Cafes (Abreca) with the support of the Benidorm City Council and the Generalitat Valenciana. A contest was presented yesterday in Fitur by the mayor and Álex Fratini and Diego Salinas, members of the board of directors of Abreca and manager of the entity respectively; and it will take place from January 27 to February 5.

This activity is part of the parallel activities to Benidorm Fest and 18 establishments participate in it. Each of them has proposed a tapa, which diners can consume at the price of 2.5 euros. To participate in the contest, users can vote for the tapas through the GastroEventos app, scoring them in the range of 1 to 5 stars. On February 1, among all the votes, a double ticket will be raffled to live the final gala of the Benidorm Fest on February 4, which includes a 'meet and greet' with the artists.

To make it easier for the public to know all the details of this I Tapas Contest, a pocket brochure has been published that includes a location map of the participating establishments and their Benidorm Fest tapas, voting instructions, and the contest rules.

The mayor highlighted that "this I Benidorn Fest Tapas Contest, as well as the different events that make up Benidorm Gastronómico every year, is an example of the proactivity and initiative of the Benidorm hospitality sector, always in search of actions that give an added value to local gastronomy, making it a powerful complementary tourist product”.

The participating establishments are: Angelillo, l'Abadia, El Mesón, Esturión, Brasería Aurrerá, La Cava Aragonesa, La Marina, Tabernita del Sur, La Tapería, Los Peces, Malaspina, Manila, Mia Social Club, Pinocchio, Pintxos Aurrerá, Taberna Andalusian, Wine On and Bar Zarzosa.

Also during the Madrid fair, the 'Benidorm Gastronómico 2023' calendar was presented, which will have 5 appointments and which begins next March, from 3 to 12, with the XI Stew Days. The next event, the III Tuna Days, will take place from May 12 to 21; while from June 16 to 25 the longest-running proposal of 'Benidorm Gastronómico' will take place: the XIII Tapas and Pinchos Contest. From September 1 to 10 it will be the turn of the II Cocktail Contest, and the XII Rice Days of the Region will close the calendar from October 20 to 29.