EATING AT LEBANESE GUESTHOUSES: Food Heritage Promotion & Tourism in Rural Lebanon ZEINAB JEAMBEY MSC. Human Nutrition & Dietetics, Mcgill University Master Oficial in Food Heritage and Tourism, University of Barcelona PROGRAMME MANAGER LEBANON MOUNTAIN TRAIL ASSOCIATION HIGHLITHS FOOD: FROM HERITAGE TO EXPERIENCE THROUGH TOURISM FOOD HERITAGE FOOD TOURISM FOOD & ADVENTURE TOURISM EATING WITH THE LOCALS LEBANON LEBANESE CUISINE FOOD HERITAGE PROMOTION IN LEBANON DARB EL KARAM FOOD HERITAGE TRAIL THE LEBANON MOUNTAIN TRAIL : PROMOTION OF FOOD HERITAGE WHAT NEXT FOR FOOD SERVICE CONSULTANTS 1
FOOD: FROM HERITAGE TO EXPERIENCE THROUGH TOURSIM Food Heritage Inmaterial cultural heritage Includes traditions or living expressions inherited from our ancestors and passed on to our descendants an important factor in maintaining cultural diversity Characterized as: Traditional, contemporary and living at the same time Inclusive, representative and community-based UNESCO, 2003 2
Food Tourism ( ) an experiential trip to a gastronomic region ( ) which includes visits to ( ) producers of food, gastronomic festivals, ( ) farmers markets, cooking shows and demonstrations, ( ) includes experimentation, learning from different cultures, the acquisition of knowledge and understanding of the qualities or attributes related to tourism products, as well as culinary specialties produced in that region through its consumption. Hall and Sharples, 2003 Food Tourism Tourists are attracted to local produce ( ). With food so deeply connected to its origin, it allows destinations to market themselves as truly unique. ( ) This is especially important for rural communities ( ) who often enjoy a comparative advantage when it comes to serving up traditional fare. Food tourism, allows these communities to generate income and employment opportunities locally, providing jobs for vineyard tour guides or local chefs, while fueling other sectors of the local economy such as agriculture. UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, 2012 3
Food Tourism Yearly trips to Europe 600,000 gastronomy = Main attraction 20M gastronomy = Secondary attraction 1/3 of Tourist Budget spent on food Food & Adventure Tourism Survey on Food Experiences and Adventure Travel, targeted 281 tour operators, activity providers, and travel agents in 54 countries in July 2015. Focus group comprised of nine food tourism pioneers held via a teleconference 4
Food & Adventure Tourism 71% of adventure trips include culinary experiences (moderate to high focus on food) 1 in 4 adventure itineraries centered around food as a lens for better understanding the destination and connecting with the people, landscape, and culture. A food tourist s average daily expenditure = $472 31% of tourists ask for and 25% of tour ops develop culinary experiences Home based dining and cooking vs Restaurant based culinary experiences Eat with the Locals withlocals.com Connecting travelers with locals through food and experience vizeat.com Get off the beaten path, and taste the city with locals eataway.com A worldwide community of local cooks offering great home-cooked meals. Pull up a chair and join us! bonappetour.com Our mission is to make homedining an integral ingredient of every remarkable travel experience 5
LEBANON 6
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Lebanon and Tourism < 1975: 20% GDP Classical tourism: sun and sea Skiing 1975 1990: Civil war 1996 : Beginning Nature Tourism 2002 2005: Nature Tourism as growing sector in local tourism 2005-2006: Another war 2008 2010: Political stability 2011-2012: War in Syria 2015: 22% GDP DIYAFA Program http://diyafa.org/ Implemented in 2006 by ANERA Invitation to experience the authentic oriental hospitality in lebanese homes Capacity building on business dvp & management for owners of ~ 34 accommodations outisde the capital Online network to market & promote guesthouses in Lebanon Cooperation with Ministry of Tourism for legislation and classification 13
Rural Tourism Strategy 2015 Launching of Rural Tourism Strategy Vision: Rural areas are sustainable and succesfull touristic destinations Aim: Thematic promotion of rural destinations based on their cultural, religious, natural and gastronomic heritage 2016 #1 Food Destination Beirut named #1 Food Destination http://www.travelandleisure.c om/food-drink/worlds-bestcities-for-food 14
LEBANESE CUISINE 15
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FOOD HERITAGE PROMOTION IN LEBANON 1990s Boom of AgriFood Coops Following the Civil War : International funds caused a boom in establishment of agrifood coops 23
2001 The Healthy Basket To improve Lebanese farmers livelihood in rural areas, preserving the environment and protecting human health by adopting organic agriculture as a key strategy 24
2004 Study on wild edible plants Role of Wild Edible Plants in Food Security and Food diversity in rural communities 2004 Souk el Tayeb: First Farmers market Establishment of the first farmers market in Down Town Beirut. Promotes direct link between farmers/ food producers and consumers 25
Later Tawlet Souk El Tayeb Women from rural areas cooking regional dishes to beiruties 2006 The Healthy Kitchens Community based central kitchen, operated by rural women and rural copos to promote local traditional cuisines based on the consumption of locally grown products and wild edible plants 26
2007 Publications 2009 Publications 27
2011 Publications 2013 Food Heritage Foundation 28
2013 Farmers Market 2014 Community Kitchens 29
2014 2015 Food Tourism DARB EL KARAM A food Heritage Trail 30
A Food Toursim Network To create a touristic destination focused on gastronomy To diversify the economic benefit of small producers, farmers, local guides and B&B through thematic tourism To raise awareness among tourists and hosts alike about the seasonality and locality of foods and crops as well as the wealth and diversity of the Lebanese cuisine in rural areas Peculiarities Located in the Shouf Cedar Biosphere Reserve Connects 8 villages Falls in Mountain and Valley Christian and Druze communities Abundance of agricultural areas 31
Elissar Temrez Shouf Mountains Table d'hôte Highlight: figs and olives harvest & Fig molasses May Kanaan Shouf Mountains Table d'hôte Highlight: Saj bread and Manakish making 32
Noha Abi Rashed - Bekaa Valley B&B Table d'hôte Highlight: Potato Kebbe Lina Haddad Bekaa Valley Table d'hôte Highlight: Tomato paste making and pumpkin Jam making 33
Taste the Star Products! A star product is raw or processed ingredient or traditional dish charactiristic of the area and/ or has limited or decreasing production Pic: Sirdele cheese Dried figs on Spanish Broom 34
Mulberries Local Culinary Specialties 35
Arabic Icecream from Fresh Goat Milk Roll up your sleeves! 36
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Training of Hosts Intro to food tourism Food hygiene Intro to tourism and hospitality management Test trips & feedback & more training Chamber of Commerce/ Diyafa 39
THE LEBANON MOUNTAIN TRAIL 40
THE LMT Long distance hiking trail North to South of Mount Lebanon 470 km 570 2011 m ASL 75 villages 27 sections The LMT Blazed 1 world heritage site 2 Nature reserves 1 Biosphere Reserve Several natural sites protected areas Side Trails Accommodations Local guides 41
THE LMTA Lebanon Mountain Trail Association Established in 2007 To maintain, protection & promotion the LMT as a unique tourism destination To contribute to economic development in rural areas through tourism on the trail To raising awareness about trail and mountain s natural and cultural heritage through education program for youth LMTA Activities Improvement of hospitality standards on the trail: Guesthouse Renovation Coaching sessions on Hospitality Seasonal Menu Development Capacity building in guiding and group management Local Guides Training Side trail development Promotion of LMT as national touristic destination and heritage on the LMT Partnership with tour operators Networking with local municipalities, Ministries of Tourism, Culture, Environment and Agriculture ThruWalk and Fall Trek 42
LMTA Annual Thematic Hikes 2012 Water Conservation 2013 - For Birds 2014 - Trail Protection 2015 - Cultural and Archaeological Heritage LMTA Annual Thematic Hikes 2016 Food Heritage Promotion 43
LMTA 2016 FUNDRAISING DINNER https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3jhpr4yv74 44
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3jhpr4yv74 EXPERIENCING FOOD & HOSPITALITY IN LMT GUESTHOUSES 45
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WHAT NEXT FOR FOOD SERVICE CONSULTANTS Food Service consultants to the villages! Tailored Training & Coaching: Menu Development Food Quantities Costing & Pricing Package Development Table Setting 49
Food Service consultants to the villages! Training Respecting Local Practices Food hygiene Food production Thank You 50
References UNESCO (2012). From: http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=es&pg=00022 UNWTO. (2012). Global Report on Food Tourism- AM Resports: Volume 4. Madrid: UNWTO Hall, M. C., & Sharples, L. (2003). The consumption of experiences or the experience of consumption? An introduction to the tourim of taste. In M. C. Hall, L. Sharples, R. Mitchell, N. Macionis, & B. Cambourne, Food Tourism Around the World. Elsevier. ATTA (2015). Taste the adventure: exploring the intersections btween food experiences and adventure travel Food Heritage Foundation : http://food-heritage.org/ Lebanon Mountain Trail: http://www.lebanontrail.org/ Brochure 51
Brochure Meet The Hosts! Resident of village Cook traditional cuisine Cultivate locally/ local variety Have a star product Produce following traditional methods 52