Richelle Villar is interning with our Association right now. We asked her to share a little bit about herself. This is what she had to say.

Q: Where are you from?
A: I’m originally from the Philippines but was raised in Dubai.

Q: And most importantly, what are your favorite food and beverage items?
A: My favourite food would be Spaghetti Puttasnesca or Chicken Biryani. As for beverage, nothing beats a good cup of tea… or a refreshing gin and tonic.

Q: How did you get interested in food and beverage tourism?
A: I was studying sustainable tourism when I discovered about food and beverage tourism when it was briefly mentioned in class. As I did further research, I discovered the vast world of food and beverage tourism and made me realize that I’ve been a passionate culinary tourist for a while now!

Q: What is your role/title at the Association?
A: Content Management intern.

Q: What type of work are you doing in your daily internship tasks?
A: I currently manage the GastroTerra library, sorting out many articles, journals, and other important research related to the food and beverage tourism industry.

Q: What are your career goals – do your career plans include food and beverage tourism?
A: My career goal is to work in Placemaking specifically focusing on culinary placemaking, highlighting the importance of cuisine in tourism and cultural heritage.

Q: What do you think personally will be the short- to medium-term impact of the pandemic on food and beverage tourism?
A: I think there will be more important in slow food and agrotourism as rural tourism will grow compared to international travel to urban places. There will also be higher importance placed in sustainable production in food and beverage as the market trends move towards that.