Gastronomic experience as a factor of motivation in tourism

By Belen Contreras & Maria José de Almeida

Has gastronomy changed the way of traveling?

15% of tourists have changed their destination because of the gastronomy the country has.

This has given birth a new way of tourism called “Gastronomic Tourism”, it is based on visiting food producers, food festivals, restaurants and places where you taste a special type of food, watch food being produced or eat food cooked by a famous chef.

The principal aim of this work is a tourist destination's level of satisfaction, considering gastronomy as an element of tourist motivation. The gastronomic motivation influences the choice of the tourist destination and the gastronomic experience affects satisfaction. Furthermore, these tourists show a high level of satisfaction with the gastronomic offer of this destination, leading even to loyalty.

Gastronomy has played an important role in tourism because of the cultural mixture and flavors that makes the country unique.