Gastronomy as an irreplaceable factor in the Tourist Promotion of a destination

Abstract

The basis of this article focuses on gastronomy, currently considered an undervalued component and very little considered in the context of tourism promotion o destination. The idea is to establish that, in a general context oriented to the homogenization of the tastes, the concepts, contended, forms and cultural approaches with which it is presented to the traditional gastronomy are not enough elements to capture the attention of the tourists. The dilemma is proposed that, although nowadays tourists are becoming more and more accustomed to global fast food and they like it, they could also integrate to redefine the local gastronomy, considering its typical essence and recognize the effort to try a more close and deep with the culinary customs of the place they visit. It is debated whether, in the visit to the host cultures, the culinary practices could be considered as an important factor in the choice of the destination to visit. The document focuses on gastronomy, as a fundamental element of the cultural product that gives attractiveness to the visitor in a country, region or area, offering an alternative of deep quality tourist experience. It proposes a discussion on the topics of gastronomy and tourism and an analysis on how to address the satisfaction of the needs of tourists. With regard to the relative lack of attention to the tourist gastronomic product by tourists, the question of itself arises, because of this omission; the cultural heritage in this thematic area is being impoverished at present, which reduces the possibilities of perpetuation of diversity and the continuous evolution of local gastronomy.