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Abstract

Gastro tourism can be regarded as a form of niche or alternative tourism and as a result of growing competition and a change in traveler wants in terms of destination exploration, is now more often being included as a new or additional sector in the travel and tourism business. This situation affords gastro tourism the opportunity to be an important source of marketable images and experiences for the tourist, reinforcing the competitiveness and sustainability of the destination (Quan & Wang, 2003). The food and tourism industries benefit from this interaction, as local and regional food products become an important means of selling the identity and culture of a destination and enables food producers to add value to their products by creating a tourism experience around the raw materials. This paper outlines the key components of a proposed framework and the supportive tools that have been developed and tested with regard to developing and implementing gastro tourism as an attraction in a destination. It is additionally postulates guidelines and recommendations for the development, packaging and marketing of local and regional foods.

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