The National Geographic Traveller Food Festival traditionally takes place at the Business Design Centre in London, and this year was no exception. Food and drink enthusiasts flocked to the event to discover the latest culinary trends through a series of cooking workshops and live demonstrations. There were also tastings of dishes through which the exhibiting entities and countries presented themselves. The Czech exhibition was a great success, this year being larger, more prominent, and with an even broader reach than in previous years. Czech representatives provided information not only about gastronomy but also details about the individual regions to which the exhibited items were related. Visitors could "taste" the Czech Republic through multiple senses, thanks to beautiful photographs, captivating videos, and tastings of individual dishes and beverages, particularly local wines.

"Wine tourism plays a key role in the development of not only domestic tourism. We can clearly see this, for example, in Italy and France, where local producers offered over 380 wine tours and tastings per million inhabitants last year. Australia, Portugal, and South Africa closely follow these countries. The Czech Republic can draw from Portugal's experience, as this country has systematically focused on developing wine tourism as one of the main attractions for foreign visitors in recent years. The data shows that it is succeeding in establishing itself as one of the world's leading destinations for this type of tourism. Events like the National Geographic Traveller Food Festival help spread the fame of our wines far beyond the borders of the Czech Republic," said František Reismüller, Director of the CzechTourism Central Office.

"I am extremely proud that we achieved the main goal of our participation in this prestigious event, which was to increase interest in Czech regions among British visitors. We put a lot of effort into the preparation, and our hard work was accompanied by excellent results. It was challenging, but the outcome was worth it," said Katarína Hobbs, Director of the Foreign Office of CzechTourism in London.

One of the highlights of the Czech exhibition was a guided tasting at the Wine and Spirit Theatre. "We presented the Czech Republic as an attractive destination for wine tourism, and I must say that our wines surprised the visitors with their quality and variety. Every day, about eighty visitors interested in international wines and wine tourism attended the presentations," added Patrik Kubát, Project Manager of the National Wine Centre.

The festival was preceded by a workshop at the Embassy of the Czech Republic in London, aimed at introducing Czech partners and their products. It was attended by 50 British travel agencies and home workers who established direct contacts for future cooperation in promotion and sales. "I find the networking evening with British travel agencies very beneficial. Thanks to the meeting, we gained valuable information about the key factors and interests that influence decisions about trips to the Czech Republic. I was pleased with the positive reactions and interest in our country. I believe this was one of the first steps towards more sustainable tourism throughout the Czech Republic," summarized Tereza Křížová from the Tourism Authority South Moravia.

"I am grateful for the invitation to the CzechTourism event, which took place at the Czech Embassy in London. I had the opportunity to meet many interesting people from the industry, gain valuable contacts with representatives of travel agencies, and present our hotel and brand to them. Although we are still building our name in the market, we are already seeing positive reactions, and I am very pleased that many people prefer us over well-established chains. Special thanks go to the organizers for organizing this event, which, along with other CzechTourism activities, strengthens awareness abroad not only of Prague but of all Czech and Moravian regions," said Katarína Koropčáková, Leisure Sales Manager at Almanac X Alcron Prague Hotel, and one of the participants in the joint meeting.

"The presentation at the National Geographic Food Festival was a unique opportunity to meet with British buyers. The atmosphere and format of the presentations were very productive and inspiring. They brought great business contacts and new opportunities for promoting Czech products," concluded Patrícia Irlveková, Cluster Director of Sales and Marketing at Ensana Europe's Mariánské Lázně Spa.

This year’s National Geographic Traveller Food Festival confirmed that Czech and Moravian regions are gaining popularity not only among the British. Next year, this prestigious event, filled with recipes, ingredients, and stories related to gastronomy, will take place on July 19-20, 2025.