Since Dénia was named the Creative City of Gastronomy, in December of 2015, the city has significantly increased its international contacts, placing itself on the world map of gastronomy.
The last agreements reached in this sense have been in Norway. Specifically in Bergen, where Dénia participated in the Matfestival with its own stand. There it was agreed with tour operators and representatives of travel agencies in the region a series of visits in the coming weeks to get to know the city and its surroundings in order to reinforce its presence in its offers of tourist destinations.
The Mayor of Dénia, Vicent Grimalt, accompanied by the director of the Office of Innovation and Creativity, Floren Terrades, and the tourism technique Pepa Cardona, held last Thursday, upon arrival in Bergen, a working meeting with representatives of different local institutions related to the tourism promotion and economic development.
The meeting was attended by the head of Marketing of the Tourist Board, Marianne Johnsen, the business policy director of the Local Chamber of Commerce, Atle Kvamme, and Tone Artvedt, from the group Invest in Bergen. The two cities agreed on ways of collaboration in commercial, gastronomic and tourist matters. In order to better understand the respective offers, it was decided to organize the visit of tour operators and travel agencies. The airport of Alicante maintains daily flights with the one of Bergen, what facilitates the connection between Dénia and the Norwegian city.
More than 1.000 paella rations
During the Matfestival, Dénia distributed promotional brochures and responded to the information demands of the visitors. In addition, paella and cocas tastings were offered at the stand during the three days that the event lasted. It is estimated that more than 1.000 portions of paella and as many portions of classic cocas were distributed: tomacat, anchovies... At the Dénia stand, products from the company were also shown. Marina Alta, such as Alcalalí almonds, nuts, oil and salted fish.
The culinary area was covered by Vicent Almela, cooking teacher of the María Ibars Institute, and middle-school students Rafael Ferrando and Caitlin Knappen, who, coinciding with the festival, completed one of the Erasmus + exchange training exchange stays. Young people for a creative and sustainable cuisine, financed with funds from the European Union.
Vicent Almela, in addition, starred in one of the showcooking programmed at the festival, cooking a rice a banda. Likewise, he participated in a gastronomic experience proposed by the organization of the event: the participating chefs, without prior notice, received local Bergen products to be used in an improvised elaboration. Vicent Almela and her students received the cod, which they prepared with an oyster sauce.
Dinner for 150 people
The five Creative Cities present, including Bergen, prepared a dinner for 150 people, among authorities and guests. The dianenses representatives assumed the preparation of the dessert, presenting a traditional "coca dolça". In addition to Dénia and Bergen, at the Matfestival there were delegations from Alba (Italy), which promoted its hazelnuts; Burgos, who prepared a classic "rotten pot"; and Florianópolis (Brazil), who carried out cooking demonstrations with cassava.
Visit to OsØyro
Once the festival was over, on Monday, before undertaking the return, the Dianense delegation visited the municipality of OsØyro, in the Bergen region, where a project of reunion between local producers and chefs is underway, a program with many in common with the one that is being developed in Dénia. In the meeting with the mayor, Marie BruarØy, both municipalities agreed to collaborate on the respective projects and open new channels of relationship in the tourism field.
It is ist ja wunderschön für den Bürgermeister durch die halbe Welt zu reisen und für die Kochkünste zu werben.
Dafür bekommen wir keine Post mehr, müssen jede Woche rund 40 Minuten auf der Post warten ob denn etwas angekommen ist.
Die Strassen im Montgogebiet werden immer schlechter und Strassenbeleuchtung gibt es auch nicht.
Der Busbahnhof ist eine Katastrophe und die Baustelle in diesem Sommer begeisternde Touristen.
Congratulations
Hans-Joachim Kuhl
Too bad I can not understand your comment. Being this country Spain we speak Spanish. In the German online media do Spaniards write in Spanish? No, right? Spaniards living in Germany write in German as is understandable.
Good Luis, basically says where the mayor of a ruined town goes to advise other towns, with the disaster he has at home especially in the entire residential colony of Montgo and if he is going to export his catastrophe tourism model. It literally says this. It is wonderful for the mayor to travel half the world and promote the culinary arts.
For this we do not receive more emails, we have to wait a few 40 minutes each week at the post office because something has arrived.
The streets in the Montgo area are getting worse and there is no street lighting.
The bus station is a disaster and this summer's construction site exciting tourists.
Congratulations
«It is also curious that Luis suggests that he use the Castilian language when the mayor walks around Bergen, showing how the advertising posters in Valencian can be verified by photos. I think the Norwegians will be just as confused as Luis since they are learning Spanish at a forced pace and now we send them the messages in Valencian »well, seeing is believing, greetings