The Food Capitals network Vice President City Malmö travelled to Lyon for two days of benchmarking, exchange and inspiration, exploring how gastronomy can contribute to destination development and sustainable visitor experiences.
The Food Capitals was delighted to welcome representatives from the City of Malmö, led by Karin Tingstedt, alongside Visit Malmö and members of Malmö’s hospitality and tourism sector, to Lyon, headquarters and founding city of our network.
The visit formed part of Visit Malmö’s annual member study trip, bringing hospitality professionals together to benchmark Lyon’s approach to destination development, food tourism and sustainable visitor experiences, while building connections and sharing experiences with their counterparts in Lyon.
Learning from Lyon
The delegation met with Sophia Popoff, Deputy Mayor of Lyon, and Juliane Gourdin from the City of Lyon for exchanges on food policies and strategies. Delegates also heard from Virginie Carton from ONLYLYON Tourism & Convention Bureau, for insights into Lyon's destination strategy.
The program also offered a behind-the-scenes look at Lyon’s hospitality and visitor ecosystem, with the InterContinental Lyon – Hotel Dieu, the LDLC Arena, Vieux Lyon and a guided gastronomic visit of the Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse.
And, of course, experiencing Lyon as a gastronomic destination meant gathering around the table! Chef Tabata Mey at Brasserie Roseaux and Chef Florent Poulard at Monsieur P. offered the delegation two different tastes of Lyon’s contemporary culinary scene.
From inspiration to action
Beyond discovering Lyon, the visit was about benchmarking, networking and bringing concrete ideas back to Malmö. The exchanges between tourism and hospitality professionals created opportunities for new perspectives, connections and future collaborations.
It is also a great example of what The Food Capitals network can facilitate: turning relationships between cities into practical exchanges between the people and organisations shaping their food, tourism and hospitality ecosystems.
Thank you to the City of Malmö, Visit Malmö and the entire delegation, and to all our partners in Lyon who shared their experience and opened their doors!
