Gastronomy as a Product of Tourism - Literature review Example

GASTRONOMY AS A PRODUCT OF TOURISM Insert Name Tutor Course Date Discuss the means by which gastronomy can be understood as a tourism product. Introduction Gastronomy has been defined as the science and art of eating food. It is also known as the study of food and culture focusing on gourmet cuisine. Gastronomy is involved with tasting, discovering, understanding researching and writing about the preparation of food and the sensory qualities of nutrition (Croce & Perri 2010).Gastronomy is a part of a people’s culture and any culture would have it. In some places gastronomy has been created and developed through tourism activities. Tourists eat and generally participate in the local food experiences. Gastronomy has been part of the experience of tourism for along time. Tourists don’t just consume sounds and sights but the tastes of the place they visit. Almost all tourists dine and eat. Food has been found to be an important way of penetrating into the culture of other people since it makes it possible for people to have an experience of the other culture at the sensory level. Local food has become a local component of the attributes of a destination. This makes food an important tourism production and consumption Boniface P. (2003) many tourists would engage in eating and the display of particular interest in the culture and food of specific places. These and other activities have in the past helped develop gastronomy. This essay examines the means through which gastronomy can be understood as a tourism product. The relationship between tourism and gastronomy For some people tourism has to do with viewing new sites and enjoying sports and the cultural practices of other people. Eating my not be considered to be part of the tourism activity but just a normal activity that is done anywhere. Gastronomy however qualifies to be a component of tourism because it involves the exploration of various cuisines and types of food consumed in different parts of the world and cultures and in very different environments and circumstances. Gastronomy which involves eating and drinking adds fun to the tourism experience Croce & Perri (2010).The different food types cooked in different styles and served in different ways is enough to make a tourist enjoy a trip. Eating has therefore become an important part of the package that tourists receive from particular places. Gastronomy is a cultural aspect and any tourist seeking to be exposed to any particular culture may not escape the food of that place. The emergence of eating out as a way of consumption and globalization market forces all are making the cuisines and food products coming form all parts of the world to be more accessible. This has made tourism become a theme in T.V shows, magazines and radio shows Scarpato (2000).Food shows focus on food while travel shows focus on food. These developments and other have stimulated an interest in people experiencing the unique local food, food cuisines and food products of a place to the level that tourists travel to destinations so that they can get an experience of the local cuisines or have a taste of the ‘celebrity chef’ in that place. Traveling to eat food has totally changed in its meaning from what it was in the days when people traveled to carry out spice trade and the voyagers took dried food with them because they were suspicious of local cuisine. Research has shown that almost 100% of tourists spend their money on food at various destinations. An example is given of Jamaica where tourists have a daily food expenditure that is five times bigger than that of an average Jamaican (Belisle, 1984). Among the areas that tourists spend their money in the food budget is one area where they are unlikely to make cuts while travelling. Money used by tourists on eating transforms the economies of the destinations they visit Hall & Sharpless (2003). In this world where tourism marketing is increasing by the day every destination is constantly searching for unique products that are unique so that it can come out as being different from the rival destinations. Local cuisines and foods unique to particular areas are some of the distinctive resources that could be used as tools for marketing to attract more visitors. This has been seen especially in studies done on wine tourism which have shown that tourists go to places with a reputation as places where they can be treated to quality local products Croce & Perri (2010). Countries such as Australia and Canada have started targeting culinary tourism in their strategy for marketing where they promote the local cuisines to tourists as a major part of their policy in tourism. Gastronomy has been found to be closely related to tourism because of the developments highlighted above Kellner (1992).In some cases as illustrated above gastronomy has been the origin of tourism and it has been important in helping to develop it in those areas. In such cases tourism could be seen to be originating from gastronomy whereby people travel to go and eat food popular in other cultures. Nevertheless the common scenario is where gastronomy is produced from tourism activities in many of the places. Gastronomy as a product of tourism From the above exposition, we see that debate exists on whether to look at tourism as having come form gastronomy or gastronomy from tourism. Gastronomy is created and grown from the tourism activities that are carried out in various tourist destinations Chen (2009).When tourists travel from one country to another in search of pleasure they always carry with them their appetites for the local foods in the places they travel to. Any tourist is a human being and a normal person has to eat regardless of where she/he is. The origin of gastronomy can be traced to tourism in many instances. Originally tourism was not perceived with much emphasis on eating or local cuisines. These were things that were seen as not having the potential to bring pleasure to any tourist. In such times, tourist practices were confined to sun bathing on sandy beaches, sex, tours and other entertainment activities. Very little was known about the area of eating. Few people could develop an interest in the cuisine and local foods of foreign cultures because they had their own fears Wurzburger, R; et al (2009) With globalization shaking all the corners of the globe it has become easier for people interact, understand and appreciate other people’s cultures including foods. Cultural exposure through globalization has been instrumental in promoting cultural tourism. The increase of advancement in communication, transport and technology has impacted positively on tourism. This has in turn resulted in increased gastronomy when the number of tourists interested in various cuisines goes up. Gastronomy grows from tourism in places where local foods and cuisine has been promoted as an object of tourist attraction Hall & Sharpless (2003).Many tourist destinations will not leave food out of their list of ‘items on offer’ in their tourism promotion campaigns. This has been growing with time as people discover the value of gastronomy in tourism. The discovery of foods by tourists in various destinations contributed to the growth of gastronomy as a product of tourism. Advanced research and education about nutrition and the cultures of other places has also played its role. Increased knowledge about nutritious foods found in other geographical places and other cultures has created an interest for exploration. Availability of information about various types of foods has stimulated the interest if tourists to seek out these foods and have a taste of them. This developed interest for various food types by tourists increases the popularity and position of a particular cuisine in the society. In this sense Gastronomy depends on the appetite and desire of tourists to promote the eating of a particular food found in a particular place Long (2004). From tourism there has developed a term called culinary tourism in which tourists travel to various destinations for the purpose of sampling out the cuisines in these areas. Culinary tourism is a product of tourism since the practice originated with tourists who were already out to explore other aspects of life. Gastronomy includes many products mixed together, services, various activities that show the important recipes and characteristics of the place, creativity and talent of those preparing the food and the tradition and uniqueness of a place (Scarpato 2002). These are the things that excited and attracted regular tourists in to exploring the area of eating. Tourism produces a large amount of money for the various destinations visited by tourists. This source of money has been made available in the hospitality industry for investment into gastronomy. Initially money obtained form other tourist activities was channeled into gastronomy in order to establish it a stable component of tourism. Money was required for training and acquisition of necessary information about various cuisines as well as the development of hotels and various eating joints in which local cuisines could be found. This contributed immensely to its establishment in various tourist centers Wolf, E. (2006) Money was also required for purchasing the foods that and for paying those who prepare them for the tourists. As a result this are of tourism developed with much support from the rest of the tourist activities. Conclusion In this paper the relationship between gastronomy and tourism has been explored. Of particular interest was the means by which gastronomy could be seen as originating from tourism. Gastronomy and tourism have become intertwined since the two are inseparable. Whenever tourists travel to any destination they are always keen to receive a treat from the local cuisine. The art and science of eating food and in this case by tourists constitutes the relationship between gastronomy and tourism. Gastronomy has been found to develop and grow where there are established tourist activities. This is because tourists spend the biggest chunk of their money on foods wherever they go because gastronomy has been produced by and is apart of tourism. Bibliography Beaver, A. (2002). A Dictionary of Travel and Tourism Terminology. Wallingford: CAB International. p.313.  Boniface P. (2003), Tasting tourism: traveling for food and drink, Ashgate publishing limited. Croce E. & Perri G. (2010), Food and wine tourism: Integrating food, travel and territory; Cabi tourism texts. Cooper, C; et al (2005). Tourism: Principles and Practice (3rd ed.). Harlow: Pearson Education Cleo van Rijk (2008); Food and tourism: an analysis of the sustainability of food tourism in the European Union, NHTV International Higher Education Breda Chen J. 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