Tourism Ministry impressed with Sunbird Chef’s Competition
Principal Secretary in the ministry of tourism Chancy Simwaka has commended Malawi stock exchange listed company Sunbird Tourism Plc for organizing Chefs competition saying the initiative is a great motivation for the chefs to sharpen their skills in as far as food tourism is concerned.
Speaking during Sunbird Chefs Competition prize presentation at Sunbird Capital,Lilongwe recently Simwaka said every tourist is attracted by food and as such chefs needs to have more knowledge on culinary tourism in order to attract more customers who at the end contribute to the growth of the country’s GDP.
“When somebody is making a decision of where to go, there are several boxes they need to go ranging from accomodation, activities and the type of food that they will be able to enjoy and when the food is appealing to that particular tourist, they will choose that place and we look at this event as important because it is naturing chefs to prepare something that can attract both local and international tourist.
“Culinary tourism is considered a vital component of the tourism and as such it need special attention”He said
Simwaka said travelers are looking to learn more about the regions they travel to through food experiences such as farm-to-table tours and restaurants, trips through local markets, and interacting with the chef as their food is prepared. They’re looking for local flavors and specialties they can’t find anywhere else, which is creating unique opportunities for creative chefs.
Sunbird’s Chief Executive Officer Samson Mwale said in the Culinary tourism , people that make things happen are chefs and as such they need to be creative and innovative and that is why they decided to introduce the Competition as a way of motivating them to have more experience.
Mwale said lately they have been doing the competition as internal thing but they are now considering making it a national event that can accommodate more chefs from all over the country.
One of the overall winner from Sunbird Mount Soche Hotel in Blantyre Prince Msamanyada said he was happy because he did not expect it and he attributed the success to God.
Msamanyada said winning the competition is a great motivation as he will keep on working hard and make sure that tourists are treated to good food.
Winners are expected to be part of this year’s African competition on culinary tourism scheduled to take place in Zimbabwe from 26th to 28th this month.
