Myanmar Urged to Cultivate Signature Foods

 

A ceremony to open the Tastes of the Golden Land 2026, organized by the Myanmar Restaurant Association under the supervision of the Ministry of Hotels, Tourism and Culture, took place at the Yangon Convention Centre in Yangon yesterday morning, attended by Vice-President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar Nan Ni Ni Aye.

Artistes from the Department of Fine Arts performed a dance presentation accompanied by the song “A Land Full of Diverse Delicacies”.

Speaking on the occasion, the Vice-President said that the Tastes of the Golden Land aims to serve Myanmar traditional foods in accordance with international standards, promote greater recognition and popularity of Myanmar traditional foods around the world and attract more international tourists by promoting Myanmar’s traditional cuisine as a tourism resource.

She noted that many countries around the world play an important role in showcasing their traditional cultures, customs, national identities and historical heritage through both tangible and intangible cultural heritages, including arts, literature and traditional dress. Among these, food culture also plays a highly significant role.

Myanmar is a Union of diverse ethnic nationalities. Accordingly, the country possesses diverse cultural traditions and customs varying from region to region and among different ethnic groups, as well as unique and delicious traditional foods.

The Vice-President stressed that promoting Myanmar’s distinctive traditional foods at home and abroad would boost the country’s tourism sector.

The Vice-President underscored that current tourism based on food experiences, or in other words, Gastronomy Tourism, has become one of the rapidly growing sectors of the tourism industry. Therefore, Myanmar also needs to identify, promote and develop its distinctive foods.

She highlighted that Myanmar is making efforts to ensure that renowned traditional foods such as Myanmar tea leaves and Htamane become internationally recognized and eventually receive UNESCO recognition as tangible cultural heritage.

The Vice-President stressed that the development of food tourism not only contributes to the preservation and promotion of local traditional foods but also directly benefits hotels, restaurants, the agriculture and livestock sectors, as well as MSMEs, improving the socioeconomic life of the people.

Union Minister for Hotels, Tourism and Culture U Maung Myint explained the objectives of hosting the Tastes of the Golden Land-2026.

The Vice-President presented certificates of appreciation to the main sponsor, the gold sponsor and the silver sponsor for the ceremony, and Union ministers and the regional chief minister gave certificates of honour to supporting partners.

The Vice-President viewed the exhibitions and the participation of contestants in the contest.

The Vice-President presented honorary prizes to the winners while Union Minister U Maung Myint gave certificates of honour to members of the panel of judges.

The event being held is the first of its kind in Myanmar, providing an opportunity for visitors to explore and purchase Myanmar traditional foods presented in an international-standard fine dining style, as well as to view and buy traditional foods from various regions and exchange experiences at a single venue. A total of seven competing teams participated in the competition, establishing 120 exhibition booths to showcase and sell traditional food products.

MNA/TTA

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