With Kelowna, BC, Named a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, Big White Ski Resort Raises Its Culinary Game - SnowBrains

"United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) award and was created in 2004 to promote cooperation with and among cities that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development. The UNESCO Creative Cities Network highlights the creativity of its members within 8 fields: Crafts and Folk Art, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Media Arts, Music, and Architecture."

"UNESCO uses strict criteria and desired features to become a gastronomy city such as: being a well-developed culinary culture showing the characteristics of the city and the region, a vibrant gastronomic community with numerous traditional restaurants and food masters, using region-specific ingredients in traditional food preparation, local knowledge and skills, traditional culinary practices and methods freed from industrial and technological progresses, traditional food markets and traditional food industry, traditional gastronomic festivals, incentive awards, hosting of gastronomy competitions and use of other wide-ranging promotional tools, gaining the appreciation of the public, carrying out promotional activities with the theme of nutrition in educational institutions, and inclusion of biodiversity protection programs in the curricula of gastronomy and culinary arts schools."

"Gastronomy is foundational to Kelowna's economy, attracting over 2 million visitors each year and generating $1.17 billion in tourism revenue. The city is home to more than 500 restaurants, contributing $394 million annually. Local agriculture occupies over half of Kelowna's land, adds $3.6 billion to the economy, and supports nearly 5,000 j"

Kelowna was designated a UNESCO Creative City in gastronomy, becoming Canada's first city to receive that designation. The designation places Kelowna alongside North American culinary capitals such as San Antonio, Tucson, and Mérida. UNESCO created the Creative Cities Network in 2004 to promote cooperation among cities that identify creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development and highlights creativity across eight fields including Gastronomy. UNESCO's gastronomy criteria emphasize well-developed culinary culture, vibrant gastronomic communities, use of region-specific ingredients, traditional culinary practices and markets, gastronomic festivals and competitions, and curricular inclusion of biodiversity protection. Gastronomy attracts over two million visitors yearly, generates $1.17 billion in tourism revenue, supports more than 500 restaurants accounting for $394 million, and local agriculture covers over half of the land, contributing $3.6 billion and nearly 5,000 jobs.

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