Taste the Seven – A Lowveld Culture Culinary Activation
This topic started off our annual business conference on 10 June at Anew Hotel in White River and was only the first of a very exciting and informative programme! This is a summary, but the full version is posted below.
“Global statistics indicate that 58% of travellers heavily consider cultural authenticity (this means food!) and 39% of South African visitors cite experiencing a different culture as their PRIMARY motivation for visiting the country!”, said Linda Grimbeek from KLCBT who made the presentation.
Promoting multiple cultures through food offerings in the hospitality / tourism industry is a powerful way to enhance guest experiences, celebrate diversity and drive revenue and growth. Why are we not grabbing this opportunity?
The 7 main food cultures of the Lowveld include English, Afrikaans, Portuguese, Indian, Swazi, Shagaan (Tsonga-Shangaan) and Agri-Culture which is a universal language of respect for local produce.
There are long list of original dishes and fusion foods which became our unique food heritage, yet the mainstream hospitality industry serves mainly English food and the occasional melktert or pap & vleis.
The challenge is for every town to come up with a dish which is absolutely iconic to that town and perhaps a number one dish of the Lowveld. Graskop created an entire sub-culture with pancakes—there are so many more to choose from to enrich the cultural offering of the Lowveld.
Pair the food offering with authentic storytelling, employ diverse culinary teams, use rotating concepts, immersive guest experiences to make them part of preparing the dishes, thematic dining, local collaborations with cultural organisations or traditional leaders and use targeted campaigns to market this on social media.
Start brainstorming today with your team, with your town and with the rest of the region to create the most diverse culinary experience, possibly in the world… Turn your ‘Everyday’ into real tourism growth for your business!
