Exploring The Role Of Gastronomy In Tourism

This paper summarizes the arguments and counterarguments within the scientific discussion on the issues of gastronomy and gastronomic tourism. Many people travel just for gastronomic purposes. Food is the essential need for human being, and it may become the main motivating factor for deciding to travel. Gastronomy and its role in the promotion of tourism therefore need to be studied in greater detail. The main purpose of the article is a comprehensive analysis of the role of gastronomy in the development of tourism industry in the country. The methodological tool for the research was a survey, some hypotheses were derived, which were analyzed via Crosstabulations with Pearson Chi-square testing. The investigation of the topic and the results of the analysis state that gastronomy is the part of culture and traditions of a country and the art and culture of cooking. The research empirically confirms and theoretically proves that many people prefer local cuisine of the destination despite high prices and they evaluate the importance of good cuisine of the destination very high. Also the overall satisfaction with the journey is influenced also by the local cuisine of the destination. The main conclusion is that gastronomy may promote tourism and countries which have gastronomic heritage, should evaluate it and include it in touristic offers by making a gastronomic brand of the region or country. Countries should have a gastronomic tourism development plan. Gastronomic tourism should contribute to accomplishing of sustainable development goals. It may be a driver force for advancing the economy, creating new jobs, increasing the income of population who works in that sphere, etc. In order to meet the needs of tourists, countries should carry out research to understand the consumer motivations and behavior, and based on it to create gastronomic tourism product. Besides, educational organizations should prepare high qualified professionals for the sphere, as the staff competence has a great impact on service level, which in its turn influences customer satisfaction. The results of the research can be useful for the state organs, private sector, also for researchers of tourism sphere.