Castilla La Mancha launches DiscoverEAT, a forum to rethink rural tourism through gastronomy

Wine or a dish of gachas can tell the story of a destination better than a tourist brochure. The new international congress Discover-EAT, to be held in Castilla La Mancha from June 8 to 11, will focus on the power of good food to attract visitors. The forum will explore the relationships between cuisine, territory, and sustainability, with a clear focus: to champion rural areas through gastronomy. Organised by Vocento Gastronomía and the Ministry of Economy, Business and Employment of Castilla-La Mancha, the event brings together chefs, producers, tourism and development experts, academics, and communicators in a shared reflection on how flavour can also be a strategy.

Away from the big urban centres, the forum unfolds its programme in the rural heritage sites of La Mancha such as Campo de Criptana, Alcázar de San Juan, and Tomelloso. This choice is not accidental: the region hosts the world's largest vineyard — over 437,000 hectares — and is positioned as an ideal setting to think about cuisine in direct connection with the landscape, local resources, and communities. What is proposed here is not just a celebration of the native, but a strategic look at how gastronomic tourism can activate economies, narrate territories, and project a renewed image of rural areas.

At the forum's presentation in Toledo, Minister Patricia Franco emphasised the need to "reclaim the value of the local through flavour, culture, and landscape," and celebrated the significant presence of Manchego chefs in the activities. Benjamín Lana, head of Vocento Gastronomía, highlighted the event's transversal nature: "unique in the world and necessary," he said, referring to the value of cross-sector exchange to rethink models.

The programme includes lectures, round tables, collaborative meals, and field visits. Among the international guests are figures like Linsey Gallagher, president of Visit Napa Valley, who will share the success story of wine tourism in California; or the heads of Toscana Promozione Turistica, Francesco Tapinassi and Clara Svanera, who will explain how a well-constructed narrative can turn a region into a gastronomic destination. Also present will be Dario Cecchini, a butcher and media figure in Italy, who has managed to put his small town, Panzano in Chianti, on the global map thanks to a project that combines craft, character, and a keen eye for communication.

A Latin American perspective will not be lacking, with the presence of Peruvian chef Virgilio Martínez, ranked number 1 in the world by 50Best in 2023 and an advocate of ancestral heritage as an economic driver. Nor will there be a lack of national representation: chefs such as Nacho Manzano, David Yárnoz, Pedro Sánchez, Enrique Pérez, Rubén Sánchez Camacho, and Juan Carlos García will share how their projects have transformed small towns into gastronomic attraction hubs. Among the Portuguese guests is Carlos Teixeira from the restaurant Heredade do Esporão.

The forum will also address issues that set the pace today: the new meaning of luxury, understood as a genuine and artisanal experience; the importance of public-private synergies; or the role of new technologies in rural tourism. Experts such as Lucía Toro from the Nuba agency; Enrique Valero, general director of Abadía Retuerta; Ramón Cobo, founder of WoolDreamers; or Francisco Castro, head of Adentity, a digital consultancy recognised by Google, will participate. There will be talk of wool, augmented reality, and artificial intelligence, but always with feet on the ground: the aim is to reinforce authenticity without renouncing innovation.

The agri-food sector will be represented by names such as Rosa Vañó (Castillo de Canena), Pepe Simón (Dehesa Monteros), or Santiago Vivanco (Bodegas Vivanco), who will discuss how high-quality products can articulate a solid tourist offer. There will also be voices from the institutional sphere, such as Ana Isabel Fernández Samper, general director of Tourism of Castilla-La Mancha; Rosa Melchor, president of the Association of Wine Cities; or Jesús Ramón Ochoa, mayor of Ruesga, who will present the success story of Alto Asón as an emerging destination.

In total, more than 40 speakers will shape a demanding and diverse programme, which seeks to position Discover-Eat 2025 as a reference in the debate on gastronomic tourism and territorial development. Ideas will be shared in debates and round tables, but also in the kitchen: there will be six- and eight-hand meals and dinners in unique wineries and restaurants, with the participation of 22 Manchego chefs. A congress to cook up future tourism strategies.