The food tradition is a large part of the image of the country and the nation, as it reflects culture and history and is marked by time and nature. The food experience is an integral part of the lives of tourists wherever they go, whether it is the main purpose of the trip or not.
Á Norðurlöndum hefur orðið mikil vakning á þeim verðmætum sem liggja í staðbundinni matvælaframleiðslu og matargerð bæði fyrir heimamenn og erlenda gesti. Að sama skapi er aukin áhersla lögð á sustainability í matvælaframleiðslu og ferðaþjónustu þannig að jafnvægi milli vaxtar og verndar sé gætt. Í því samhengi vakna spurningar um hvernig hreyfiöfl eins og loftslagsbreytingar og neysluhegðun móta ákvarðanir sem stuðla að meiri sjálfbærni og nýsköpun í matvælaframleiðslu og ferðaþjónustu framtíðarinnar. Þeim spurningum mun norrænn starfshópur sem starfar undir formennsku Íslands í norrænu ráðherranefndinni reyna að svara.
Icelandic Food Resources under the auspices of the Ministry of Industry and Innovation leads the project in collaboration with the Icelandic Travel Cluster and Matís and enjoys the assistance of Icelandic experts. Nordic participants in the project come from Norway, Denmark, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Finland, Åland and Sweden. Strong co-operation, which has already begun, will seek to enhance the competitiveness of the Nordic countries and support policy-making on the use of local foods in tourism, based on a balance between demand and environmental protection. The project lasts for 3 years, from 2019-2021.
Information about the project will be available in the coming months on the website of Matarauður Íslands. It will be possible to access information about the project, progress and results.
Under the Icelandic Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers, the focus is on young people, the sea and sustainable tourism. Under the auspices of sustainable tourism are in addition to the above project; tourism and nature conservation and the digitalisation of tourism.
