After decades of success driven by individual talent and the international recognition of chefs and restaurants, Spanish cuisine is moving from being a cultural phenomenon to officially becoming a strategic asset of the State. On February 9, the International Plan for Spanish Gastronomy was presented, a project integrated into the National Food Strategy that aims to transform the accumulated culinary prestige into a structural lever for economic growth, high-value tourism, and the global projection of the country brand.
The approach is ambitious and breaks with previous logic. Until now, Spanish culinary success was almost always explained by individual names, Michelin stars, or the universality of tapas. The new plan is based on a different premise: gastronomy should no longer be understood as “something related to restaurants and chefs,” but rather as a cross-cutting sector capable of generating value across the entire chain—from the farm to the table, from product export to attracting high-spending travelers.
The central objective is twofold. On one hand, it seeks to significantly increase the economic weight of gastronomy and the entire agri-food chain in the national GDP. On the other hand, it aims to consolidate Spain as one of the world’s reference gastronomic destinations, attracting quality tourism and reinforcing the country’s image as a territory of creativity, excellence, and differential quality.
Four Levers for Sustained Leadership
The plan is organized around four main lines of work that encompass ten specific measures, many of which are already in the design or launch phase.
The first major commitment is training and talent. A global hub for training in Spanish gastronomy will be created, aspiring to become a global reference for chefs, sommeliers, pastry chefs, and professionals looking to master the product, techniques, and culinary culture of Spain. At the same time, specific programs will be launched to attract and retain international talent in the country, while also enhancing the continuous training of professionals who are already active.
The second line focuses on internationalization and markets. Here, efforts are directed at coordinating the presence of Spanish agri-food products—extra virgin olive oil, Iberian ham, premium preserves, wines, and differentiated quality fruits and vegetables—in high-level gourmet kitchens and channels worldwide. Innovative gastronomic business models with export potential will also be supported, and the work of trade offices and State delegations will be strengthened to ensure that gastronomy is systematically included in the external promotion agenda.
The third pillar is gastronomic tourism. The plan includes specific campaigns, high-impact events, and thematic itineraries that position Spain as a top gastronomic destination. These actions will be closely linked with agro-food routes, olive oil tourism, wine tourism, and other quality experiences, aligning with the general strategy to attract more sustainable tourism with higher average spending per person.
Finally, the dimension of country brand and culture completes the framework. Among the most visible initiatives is the organization of a major annual international gathering of culinary creativity, the creation of a global network of Spanish professionals acting as permanent ambassadors, and the effort to organize and lend coherence to the country’s gastronomic brand. Additionally, the Government will firmly support the candidacy of tapas as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity before UNESCO.
Ferran Adrià, much more than a symbol
Ferran Adrià has played a leading role in the development and presentation of the plan. His involvement goes beyond symbolic value: he directly advises on the conception of the training hub, supports and will raise visibility for the annual creativity gathering, and reinforces the international narrative of Spain as a nation that significantly influenced culinary innovation at the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st.
Funding and Expectations for Return
The plan is primarily financed with resources from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food, coordinated with Tourism, Foreign Affairs, Trade, and Culture. This does not involve a completely new budget, but rather a strategic reorientation of existing allocations—promotion of Food from Spain, ICEX, Turespaña, cultural cooperation—supplemented with specific funds that will be clarified over time.
The expectations for impact are clear and measurable. Economically, the goal is to achieve greater added value for Spanish products abroad, more business opportunities for producers, processors, and restaurateurs, and an increase in qualified employment. In the tourism sector, the objective is to raise the average spending per visitor in the experiential and gastronomic segment. And in terms of country image, gastronomy is sought to become one of the central and most powerful elements of the Spain brand worldwide.
In a context of growing global competition—Peru, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Scandinavia, and other countries have notably elevated their gastronomic offerings in recent years—Spain decides to move from sporadic admiration to structured and sustained leadership over time.
Now that it knows how to cook, it wants the world to strategically and profitably visit, buy from, and imitate it.
