TITLE:
Food Tours Businesses: Main factors in designing a gastronomic experience
AUTHORS:
Charisia Vlachou, Maria Savvinopoulou
KEYWORDS:
Food Tours Business, Gastronomic Tourism, Gastronomic Experience, Greece
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Business and Management,
Vol.10 No.6,
November
7,
2022
ABSTRACT: Food Tours as part of gastronomic
tourism, are in their early stage of development worldwide. The literature on
gastronomic tourism is constantly increasing over the last few decades, yet
research on food tours and their contribution to forming a gastronomic
experience is rather limited. In Greece, food tours and the way they can
enhance the gastronomic profile of the destination have not been widely
explored yet through the entrepreneurial aspect of food tour offerings. This paper
attempts to identify food tours in Greece, analyze the profile and the
characteristics of food tours, as well as their role in highlighting local
products and local gastronomy. Quantitative research was conducted based on
data obtained by a questionnaire addressed to entrepreneurs of food tours operating
in cities with a population of more than 50,000 inhabitants (19 cities) in
Greece. Research results revealed that companies of food tours in Greece are only recently created (over the
last three years), small in size (1 - 3 employees), and operate throughout the year, most intensively during
the summer touristic period, usually in the form of 3-hour walking tours over
the city’s gastronomic spots. The authenticity of the local gastronomic places
and products and the quality of the contact with the locals create an
unforgettable culinary experience. From a practical point of view, the
presentation of food tours as a tool to promote gastronomic tourism can
generate synergies with the local agri-food sector to provide unique culinary
experiences for tourists, while also supporting local authorities in designing
an appealing gastronomic profile of the destination. The contribution of this
research is that it investigates a rather unexplored topic of growing
importance for Greek tourism, both for local economies and communities.