Paper short abstract:

As an UNESCO City of Gastronomy, Macao transforms its unique culinary hybridity into a global narrative. This talk explores how Macao's food attractions and festivals drive post-pandemic tourism recovery, cultural identity and China's soft power.

Paper long abstract:

Macao’s enclave was handed over to China in 1999 and established as Special Administrative Region. Since then, it has been one of the cities in the world with the highest income generated by the tourism sector.

Macao’s tourism promotion and its identity construction is based on an East-West cultural hybridity, which has led to UNESCO’s recognition as tangible and intangible world heritage, and to a destination where gastronomy shines bright. Its culinary potential for intercultural dialogue, commodification of Portuguese iconic food (egg-tarts, sardines, etc.), and the creation of fusion cuisines, like the secular Macanese cuisine (which preserves ancient Portuguese culinary traditions mixed with Cantonese and other Asian and even African cuisines), constitutes a significant aspect of the current political agenda for tourism recovery after Zero-Covid restrictions. Gastronomic hybridity promotion, in general, has been developed to diversify tourism economy beyond gambling, and to reflect the city’s mixed identity that justifies its role as a platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.

This talk focus on Macao’s membership to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in Gastronomy, in order to examine local policies for culinary tourism, heritage, and identity; considering China’s soft power approach for economic expansion and the creation of global alliances.