Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) announced in a statement yesterday that it took part in the Songkhla Gastronomy Conference in southern Thailand between Friday and Sunday, where it presented the Chinese special administrative region’s experience as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, showcasing its East-meets-West culinary culture.
MGTO Deputy Director and “focal point” to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN), Cheng Wai Tong, attended the conference alongside Justin Je Joonho, hotel sous chef of Raffles at the integrated resort of Galaxy Macau in Cotai, as well as other delegates, the statement noted.
The three-day conference, held under the theme “Creative Cities for the Sustainability of the Songkhla Lake”, according to MGTO, featured knowledge exchange sessions, culinary showcases, and visits to sustainable fishing, farming, and creative industry projects.
Songkhla is a town in southern Thailand, near the border with Malaysia. Songkhla lies nearly 1,000 km south of Bangkok.
During a panel on Sustainable Creative City Development, the statement noted that Cheng outlined Macau’s progress as a Creative City of Gastronomy, covering vision and policy alignment, community participation, cross-sector collaboration, and lessons learnt. In the culinary demonstrations, South Korean chef Je highlighted Macau’s gastronomic heritage by preparing a fusion dish with Songkhla seabass and palm sugar, inspired by Portuguese codfish balls and Macau’s shrimp paste.
Following the designation of Macau as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy in 2017, the city continues to implement its working plan and actively engage in international exchanges under the UCCN, the statement said. The Songkhla conference brought together various Creative Cities of Gastronomy including Thailand’s Phuket and Phetchaburi, Greece’s Thessaloniki, and Brazil’s Belo Horizonte, aiming to reinforce collaborative efforts within the network that now encompasses 350 cities across eight creative fields.
This undated handout photo provided by Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) yesterday shows MGTO Deputy Director Cheng Wai Tong briefing attendees about Macau’s experience as a Sustainable Creative City Development destination.
