Gastronomy boosts Bogotá: Fine Dining Table arrives for the first time and 'stopover' for travelers is announced

With the goal of further strengthening Bogotá's position as a culinary destination, it was announced yesterday that the international Fine Dining Table platform will be launching in Latin America and Colombia for the first time. The epicenter will be Bogotá, a city that is increasingly gaining ground in this sector and is known as one of the culinary capitals of the region.

With its cultural diversity, rich local ingredients, and a generation of innovative chefs, the Colombian city was selected to host the platform's experience , which aims to showcase, reward, and promote the world's best culinary destinations.

According to Andrés Santamaría Garrido, director of the Bogotá District Tourism Institute (IDT), a few years ago, tourists viewed Bogotá primarily as a business destination. However, they now perceive it as a vacation metropolis. "The cultural, heritage, gastronomic, shopping, and nature offerings are having an impact. (...) Business is still important, but it's not the main motivation for people to come to Bogotá."

On the other hand, gastronomy has established itself as one of the main reasons for travel, even though the city's tourism promotion has not focused on this industry so far.

“Bogotá doesn't have a major gastronomic positioning strategy. In fact, gastronomy has grown more through private experiences and word of mouth. Fine Dining Table is one initiative within a larger promotion for this sector,” Santamaría told EL TIEMPO.

In recent years, chefs, popular cooks, and local communities have reinterpreted native ingredients to build and strengthen a diverse culinary scene with a multitude of flavors.

Flavor trails, cooking classes, street food festivals, market square tours, and the chance to try fusions of traditional cuisine with international techniques are some of the activities most highly rated by travelers.

“At the Tourism Office, we want to position Bogotá's cuisine as a driver of emotional, economic, and cultural connection. Our goal is not just to promote dishes or chefs, but to highlight how gastronomy is revitalizing neighborhoods, creating jobs, strengthening communities, and telling new stories about the city. We want those who come to Bogotá to feel that eating here means understanding who we are and where we're going,” added Santamaría.

An opening gala will be held on August 5th at the Gimnasio Moderno, bringing together renowned chefs, sommeliers , specialized press, and key industry figures.

Alexander de Monday, founder of Fine Dining Table, explains that Bogotá is on par with other culinary destinations in the region, such as Lima, Peru. “We found that there are no international guides in the country, and that the quality of the chefs, the experiences, and the biodiversity of Colombia are unique. It's a city that should be better known around the world. We've come to make Colombia a global culinary destination,” he says.

Fine Dining Table features seven culinary experts who travel across the country, tasting dishes from more than 1,000 restaurants. To select destinations for the platform, establishments must offer not only high-quality dishes but also excellent service and proper product handling.

The platform will feature haute cuisine restaurants, as well as iconic establishments on either a street or in a district, that offer unique experiences to their diners. "We want to impact Bogotá, create experiences, bring international chefs to Colombia, and transform the country into a gastronomic destination," he concludes.

Santamaría announced that, starting in July, Avianca will be the first airline to promote stopovers in Bogotá. This will allow passengers in transit to change their flight at no additional cost and take the next available option, allowing them to stay in the city for a few hours and enjoy it. "This will help increase restaurant consumption," says Santamaría.

This strategy is expected to attract 495,000 passengers with connections lasting more than five hours by 2025 and generate an estimated economic impact of 208 billion Colombian pesos.

ANGIE RODRÍGUEZ - TRAVEL EDITORIAL - @ANGS0614