Chapter 2: Gastronomic Tourism
The destiny of nations depends on how they nourish themselves.
—Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, The Physiology of Taste
Overview
This chapter introduces gastronomic tourism, one of the fastest-growing segments of the tourism industry. The chapter begins by defining the development of gastronomy as a field in post-Revolutionary France and introduces gastronomic tourism as a means of learning about and engaging with a destination’s cultural heritage. It also explores the importance of a place-based “taste,” or terroir, to the creation of a successful gastronomic tourist destination and narrates several case studies of successful strategies used to draw tourists and to create meaningful gastronomic experiences that teach visitors about a region’s cultural heritage. These case studies include examples from Slovenia, the Caribbean, Australia, the United States, France, and Italy. The chapter closes by examining two heritage-focused movements within the industry sector—namely, Slow Food and Indigenous food sovereignty. As travelers increasingly seek meaningful experiences through which to connect with and learn about foreign cultures, gastronomy demonstrates how tourism can simultaneously educate visitors, create economic benefit to locals, shape place-based identities, foster collaboration, and nourish community spirit.
Objectives
Reading and reviewing this chapter will enable an attentive learner to accomplish the following tasks:
- Define the terms gastronomy, foodscape, terroir, and gastronomic diplomacy
- Differentiate between gastronomic, culinary, and food tourists
- Describe how tour guides and storytelling contribute to gastronomic tourism
- Analyze the strategies used to transform Slovenia and other regions into gastronomic destinations
- Evaluate the role of education, sustainability, and local food systems in building successful food tourism
Key Terms
- Gastronomy
- Foodscape
- Terroir
- Protected Designation of Origin (PDO)
- Gastronomic tourism
- Culinary tourism
- Food tourism
- Food trails
- Gastronomic diplomacy, or gastrodiplomacy
- Indigenous food sovereignty
- Slow Food
- Slow tourism
