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UNESCO, the prestigious international organization, has named Panama City a “City of Creativity,” specifically highlighting the city’s gastronomy culture.

Panama City is the first city to earn the UNESCO honor, part of the group’s Creative Cities Network created in 2004 to promote cities that “have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development.” Beyond recognizing Panama City’s vibrant and tasty restaurant scene, the “City of Gastronomy” designation recognizes that Panama City is a city committed to developing and exchanging “innovative best practices to promote creative industries, strengthen participation in cultural life, and integrate culture into sustainable urban development policies.”

Countries must apply to be included in the network, offering details on how they meet sustainability, innovation, and creativity. Panama City filed an application in June, including a four-year plan and detailed budget for explaining how Panama City is creatively addressing the food industry, mayor José Blandón told Telemetro.

Panama City has experienced a “gastronomic “boom” and the application to UNESCO represented an effort to highlight “the positive impact that tourism has on the economy,” Blandón told Telemetro earlier this year. The city developed the plan after meeting with chefs and restaurant owners.

A total of 64 cities in 44 countries were added to the network this week, bringing the total to 180 cities in 72 countries. All the members are “placing creativity and cultural industries at the heart of their development plans at the local level and cooperating actively at the international level,” UNESCO says.

The creative cities program represents “the frontline of UNESCO’s efforts to foster innovation and creativity as key drivers for a more sustainable and inclusive urban development, according to the organization’s Web site. “By joining the network, cities commit to sharing their best practices and developing partnerships involving the public and private sectors,” UNESCO says.