Xantar: International Promotion Platform for Galician Gastronomy

Xantar –the International Gastronomy and Tourism Exhibit to take place at Expourense on February 5-9, 2014- was announced during a press conference held on Monday. The meeting was attended by Rogelio Martinez, territorial delegate of autonomous government of Galicia in Ourense, Agustin Fernandez, Mayor of the city, Ovidio Fernandez, president of the Hotel Entrepreneurs Federation, y Alejandro Rubin, director of Xantar.

Xantar reaches its 15th edition under the label of "International Trade Fair" awarded by the State Department of Commerce of the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, which turns it into one of the five international tourism events carried out in Spain (Expourense organizes two of them).

Xantar strengthens its position as a platform to advertise the country through one of its greatest attractions: gastronomy, representing one of the segments where tourists spend the most, nearly 108 euros per visitor on a daily basis, totaling over 6,400 million euros a year.

Xantar – International Gastronomy and Tourism Exhibit – is set to gather 179 exhibitors in Expourense, covering a 12,000-square-meter surface, including 18 restaurants that will be offering 32 menus with prices ranging between 12 and 30 euros, based on autochthonous and high-quality products from each region.

Beyond the international character of the event, the new element in the upcoming edition will be the participation of Cuba as guest country to be present in every activity, fostering its gastronomy, tourism and handcrafted products. The country is going to be represented by a restaurant – managed by Rosalia de Castro cultural society -, which is one of the Galician centers in Havana. The menu to be showcased by the island includes some of its most emblematic dishes, such as Cuban spicy potato dish or rice with black beans, to be paired with Ribeiro D.O. wines.

Cuba’s Ministry of Tourism will be promoting its tourism resources by means of a booth, developing different activities like the cooking show on Cuban cuisine to be given by the chef of the embassy, a commented rum tasting session, cocktails tasting and an exhibition by artisan Gloria Sanchez Reyes, specialized in patchwork.

The promotion of the Iberian high-quality gastronomy through elaborate menus is one of the main objectives of this edition. 12 restaurants, out of the 18 participating in the event, belong to our community and they are going to give a boost to the Atlantic diet, with space to foster such gastronomic festivities as "Galo de Curral" in Vila de Cruces, which attends the exhibit with one restaurant.

Asturias is going to participate as guest community. Its restaurant will be showcasing the 150-year-old Oviedo menu.

The program of activities for 2014 Xantar is scheduled to include lectures given by experts and live cooking shows, as well as commented tasting sessions within the framework of the 9th edition of the Iberian Meeting on Diet and Health. All in all, the program is made up of over 120 activities aimed at professionals and enthusiasts, and the access will be for free.

The opening lecture “Alimentary Security and Public-Private Collaboration on the Development of Agro-businesses” is one of the new elements in this edition. It is going to be delivered by the main adviser for technical cooperation, FAO (UN Food and Agricultural Organization), Alberto Lopez-Asenjo, who will be analyzing methods to face the challenges related to a healthy and nutritive diet.

Xantar 2014 has rolled out different tourism packages that target the promotion of internal and proximity tourism by stimulating travelers to visit Ourense, in an effort to back up one of the main goals of this event: promoting tourism through gastronomy.

Xantar has created a gastronomic experience aimed at visitors from Coruna, Santiago de Compostela and Vigo, who can come to Ourense by means of the high-speed train, Avant. It’s important to point out that visitors coming in train from any region of Spain to attend the exhibit are going to receive a 30 percent discount. Check www.xantar.org [1].

In order to stimulate the participation of couples, since Saint Valentine’s  Day is near, the organizers of Xantar have launched a special draw that includes a 6-day / 5-night trip to Madeira for two people with flights and 4* star-hotel accommodation with breakfast included. Couples having lunch or dinner in Xantar can ask for their Saint Valentine’s Day bonus to participate in the draw. No extra charge.

In an effort to attract different collectives, the organizers have prepared multiple activities, so Wednesday February 5 will be dedicated to the elderly, with a sport night, or Thursday February 6 with tributes to dealers.

This edition of Xantar is slated to hold a carnival night on Friday February 7 and a carnival day on Saturday February 8, featuring different draws among the people wearing costumes.