Food tourism view simply unpalatable

Re: Government food tourism? How unappetizing, Nov. 21. Tyler Dawson’s snide and smartalecky article on government food tourism ignores the tremendous role that agriculture, food and beverages can and do play in promoting both national and international tourism.

Close to home, look at the food tourism taking place in Prince Edward Counties. Dawson’s dismissive reference to Canadian wines is 20 years out of date, with many Canadian wines recognized as world-class and wine tourism is a very successful and significant tourist draw.

The same applies to Canadian seafood on Canada’s coasts.

Quebec has a well-deserved reputation for its fine cuisine, and farm and food products. Canada’s fruit-growing regions are equally worth exploring and the Prairies are home to many specialty crops and unique food experiences.

The Canadian mosaic, with people from around the world, allows us to offer both homegrown and international cuisine as well as unique combinations of the two. Farm ecotourism is very popular in Europe and is open to development in Canada while the growing emphasis on locavore cuisine by restaurants coast to coast provides an opportunity for visitors to sample the best of what Canada has to offer.

And yes, governments can still have a role to play, primarily by acting as catalysts in bringing sectors, regions and interests together, enabling these parties to then jointly develop and implement effective promotional initiatives that can then be integrated with federal, provincial and industry tourism efforts. The best dining experiences start when you sit down at the table together. Richard Cooper, Ottawa