UNESCO has named Lucknow a “Creative City of Gastronomy”.
Officials said the recognition places Lucknow among 70 gastronomy cities around the world.
Lucknow is now the second Indian city to receive this title after Hyderabad.
The announcement was made on October 31 at the 43rd session of UNESCO’s General Conference in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
The nomination for Lucknow was submitted by the Uttar Pradesh Directorate of Tourism on January 31, 2025. The Ministry of Culture selected the city as the country’s official entry on March 3, 2025. The UNESCO confirmation now marks the city’s formal entry into the Creative Cities Network.
Tourism and Culture Minister Jaiveer Singh said that the recognition would help push the state’s tourism sector. He said that culinary tourism had been attracting tourists to Uttar Pradesh for generations and that the state had immense potential to lead this sector in the coming years.
Principal Secretary, Tourism & Culture, Amrit Abhijat, said Lucknow’s food culture, from royal kitchens to street vendors, has always been a draw. He said the new status will increase the city’s global reach. He also highlighted recent tourism numbers, saying that in 2024, Lucknow had recorded nearly 8,274,154 tourists (domestic and foreign), while in the first half of 2025 alone, more than 7,020,492 visitors had arrived, showing how food and culture continued to drive tourism growth.
Officials have described the UNESCO tag as a chance to promote culinary heritage and support small food entrepreneurs. They said this recognition will be used to strengthen training, improve market access for local vendors, and build food-led tourism circuits. The aim, they said, is to protect culinary traditions while also supporting the livelihoods connected to them.