Understanding of Gastronomy - Report Example

Understanding of Gastronomy and its Use in Tourism Name of Student Student Number Institution Course Code Name of Instructor Date of Submission Statement of Authorship I declare that this report is my original work and has not been presented to any institution for examination purposes. Any borrowed information has been duly referenced. Student Name: Student Number: Table of Contents Statement of Authorship 1 Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 Gastronomy 3 Fine Wine Retail Cellar in Yering Station and Domain Chandon 5 Critical Discussion on Promoting Gastronomy as a tool of Tourism 7 Conclusion 10 Reference List 11 Appendix: More Photos 12 Introduction This report reflects on gastronomy as a tourism product and how it has progressively grown as a tool of building and promoting a destination image. This incorporates food tourism spanning various culinary of the host destination. Gastronomy has come out as one phenomenon that has gained populace among many individuals and this study evaluates its use in tourism and how effective it is as a tourist attraction venture. In context, tourism has been growing diversely with various aspects in life becoming items worth of interest to many as tourist attraction items. The report study will draw experiences from two events: Yering Station and Chandon Fine Wine Cellar and the Farmers Market held on August 23, 2014. Finally, the study will stipulate lessons derived from it and reflect on the observations made. Gastronomy Gastronomy has been termed by the French dictionary as ‘the art of eating” (Scarpato 2002). On the same note Long (2004) describes culinary tourism as an intentional, exploratory participation in the ‘food-ways’ of individuals with participation that entails the consumption or preparation and presentation for consumption purposes in form food items, cuisines, eating styles, or meal systems which belong to a different culinary system or culture. This is a special kind of tourism meaning that it involves travelling of tourists having a common interest, as well as their needs in order to fulfil a their desires by visiting a given area (Harrington and Ottenbacher 2010). Through sampling and eating foods, tourists reflect on human cultures to bring in new life experiences. The gastronomy of every destination possesses various styles of cooking, flavours, ingredients and tastes depicting the specific culture, custom and tradition of the host destination (Hall and Mitchell 2006). Thus, food tourism becomes the backbone of tourism as it contains a critical aspect that cannot be done away with while touring. Subsequently, the act of having local food during travel remains one of the crucial experiences individuals have as they tour various areas enhancing their culinary knowledge (Scarpato 2002). It also makes creates awareness concerning the culture of the host destination and thus, they are able to manoeuvre and understand the surrounding during their initial and subsequent visits. Gastronomy has gained increased prominence becoming a key factor in the competitiveness of tourist destinations. Gastronomic tourism has become an emerging phenomenon being developed tremendously as a tool for tourism attraction (Hall and Mitchell 2006). The aspect of food and beverages being show cased and people having the chance to sample different kinds of foods has become a great aspect of leisure among tourists. In essence, gastronomic tourism has come up as a simple method of acquiring knowledge pertaining to new cultures and traditions (Long 2004). Foods and beverages are the main factors that motivate gastronomic tourism. Food has not only turned out to a form satisfying hunger, but also very crucial in other aspects making gastronomy play a significant role in coming up with a quality visiting experience for tourists and thus, enhance their urge for revisits (Kim, Eves and Scarles 2009). This helps a great deal in building a destination image which is a perception possessed by an individual towards a destination. In this context, food or gastronomy is a crucial attribute that enhances building a destination image and thereby aiding in creating tourist attraction sites. Food tourism as a branch of tourism has progressively and stealthily taken its course affecting the world travel industry. According to Kim, Eves and Scarles (2009), food tourism and its consumption has opened up the perception of tourists that gastronomy is an easy way to familiarise themselves with the traditions of given destinations, as well as a crucial medium for cultural expression. According to Harrington and Ottenbacher (2010) foods form a critical aspect in respect to overall tourist experience in any given destination. At given times, gastronomic products improve the overall experiences, and on top give a tourist another reason for revisiting the same place. As a matter of facts, there exists an inseparable relationship between culinary industry and tourism industry due to the nature of the two aspects of culinary knowledge and cultural experience (Long 2004). Conceptually, it is worth noting that gastronomy is an important element of tourism due to the fact that tourists give much importance to food while traveling and a considerable amount of their expenditure goes to food and beverages. Fine Wine Retail Cellar in Yering Station and Domain Chandon Yerring Station and Domaine Chandon are two of the regional best known wineries in Australia found in Yarra Valley (Yarra Valley 2014). Visiting this area gave me the chance to experience the origin of Chardonnay and Pinot noir and got the chance to taste the wines from their origin. Its tradition of high quality wines and proximity to the urban centre within East of Melbourne Australia makes it a crucial site for tourist attraction. Fig 1: Photos showing Chandon and Yerring Station (Source: Author 2014) Wine processing depicts a perfect gastronomic product in Australia that has greatly impacted the tourism industry with millions of visitors coming to Yarra valley due to the already built destination image abroad (Yarra Valley 2014). Figure 1 shows fermentation of wine and the second photo shows the sampling bar where we had the chance to taste the red wine freshly prepared in the place. Farmers’ Market (August 23, 2014 Slow Food Farmers Market) Slow Food Farmers’ Market occurs in Melbourne and was established in 2006 in partnership with Melbourne Farmers’ Markets showcasing good, clean and fair food (Slow Food Melbourne 2014). The event happens every fourth Saturday of each month and entails celebrating hard work done by sixty local growers and food producers based on their quality. The quality is based upon the produce, integrity of production methods, as well as true value for money that runs back to the Victorian economy (Slow Food Melbourne 2014). Fig 2: Photos showing Slow Food Farmers’ Market Melbourne entrance and inside (Source: Author 2014) The event is an example of showcased gastronomic products in Melbourne that attracts tourists to see and experience the best slow foods in the region. Figure 2 shows a photo of the entrance to the Farmers’ Market, while the second photo shows inside the market. Figure 4 in the appendices shows a food producer displaying well packaged dry foods with visitors having a sample to taste and buying the packaged products. These photos are a clear indication of gastronomic products that attract visitors inviting more revenue from sales and travel expenditure. Critical Discussion on Promoting Gastronomy as a tool of Tourism Currently, tourists have become more aware of various cultures, life and attributes from various global regions and aspire to have first-hand experience. According to Harrington and Ottenbacher (2010), cuisines available in various destinations have become key points of consideration whenever a tourist makes future plans. Observations have been made out that a key objective of tourists visiting a given area mainly involves indulging in local cuisines. Majorly, the level of quality of a given cuisine offered stands out as a crucial part of the holiday experience as a whole (Kim, Eves and Scarles 2009). This branch of tourism pertaining to food sampling and interests has increasingly gained prominence affecting global travel industry. In Australia, Yarra Valley is key destination for tourists after the highly praised wineries in the region (Yarra Valley 2014). Having visited the area gave a first-hand experience to observe the scenic level accessed and massive numbers visiting to sample the Chardonnay wines from its origin. Consequently, the Slow Food farmers’ Show brings together diverse foods available within a region creating an inquisitive nature among tourists to learn more (Slow Food Melbourne, 2014). The Farmers Market held in Melbourne on 23rd August 2014 gave the opportunity to experience first-hand what it entails to show case foods for marketing purposes. The most catching display was the one with dry foods that were packed in different quantities and using both synthetic and manila-paper wrappings (See Appendix Figure 4). The gastronomic products of a given area as a tourist destination increase its demand as well as its image at the regional and global front (Chen and Tsai 2007). Each and every given destination is currently trying to compete effectively with each other at perfecting and building their destination image. Thus, food comes out as one key pillar for enhancing the image as a tourist destination (Ritchie, Tung and Ritchie 2011; Long 2004). This results to various cuisines being imported from their traditional hosts and get roots in different place targeting locals, as well as tourists. A good example is the ‘Yum Cha’ which is a famous tea culture among the Chinese that has gained prominence globally. Nevertheless, this essay concentrates on the aspect of food and its culture in respect to attracting tourists due to the attached tradition and value. Hall and Mitchell (2006) opine that food possesses a strong influence as far as tourist experiences are concerned. Amid the urge to satisfy their basic requirement of food, experiencing new cuisines has now become a norm for many tourists. Thus, presenting appealing and enjoyable cuisines for a given destination appears as a sure way of creating an image of the destination and raising it to another new level (Ritchie, Tung and Ritchie 2011). In context, the aspect of food tourism has a great potential of ensuring a destination becomes prime for touring by international visitors but with standardised considerations. These considerations pertain to ensuring meeting high standards and expectations of visitors from all corners of the world (Kim Eves and Scarles 2009). Further, promotional techniques are utilised to enhance the local foods of a destination via tourism websites, food events, and festivals among others. Therefore, the act of showcasing gastronomic products helps in promoting culture and tradition awareness of the hosts, thus building the image of the destination (Harrington and Ottenbacher 2010). This is vital in order to create a lasting impression to any given tourism and enhance chances of revisit. The availability of gastronomy in an area coupled with related activities hold tourists for quite a long duration within the host destination (Scarpato 2002). This is exhibited not only by staying longer, but also by subsequent visits by the same visitors, and at times with their friends and relatives. According to Chen and Tsai (2007), satisfaction among customers amounts to a higher tendency towards revisits probability to the same destination again and again. This is seen by positive comments that are made by the tourists and the reason behind their subsequent visits. This was live at the two sites visited: Chandon and Yerring Station for wine exhibition and the Slow Food Farmers’ Market where tourist could be heard stating their desire to come again and again to have the same experience. Chen and Tsai (2007) opine that through understanding the relationships between tourists’ behaviour and its determinants, managers of tourism can enhance their strategies while building a destination image to target more turn up from tourists. This enhances tourist inflow to the destination as they feel satisfied and do enjoy their visit (Kim, Eves and Scarles 2009). On the same note, behavioural intentions are strongly influenced by tourist satisfaction. Conclusion In conclusion, the two visits to Slow Food Farmers’ Market in Melbourne and Yarra Valley, Chandon and Yerring Station represent two events indicating gastronomic products that trigger great experiences for visitors. The quality of products and the services available bring out the effective manner of strategizing to create a destination image based upon gastronomic products pertaining to foods and beverages of the host destination. In this regard, it is worth noting that gastronomy or food tourism is a critical branch in tourism that when exploited appropriately creates a perfect channel of enhancing tourism to greater heights of excellence. Thus, it is worth recommending that each tourism sector willing to build a superb destination image should embrace gastronomy as tool for attracting more tourists to the host area. This can effectively be realised by showcasing gastronomic products that depict unique cultures and beliefs of a given region to act as items for building a prime destination image. Finally, it is worth stating that gastronomy tourism has the capacity to promote and strengthen specific tourists destinations due to the fact that tourists are always more aware of the cuisines availed in their destinations of choice. Food is part of a tourist objective in their touring taking a great volume of their expenditure and thus, tapping this opportunity to enhance tourism is a worth trying strategic measure. Reference List Chen CC and Tsai DC, 2007. How Destination Image and Evaluative Factors affect Behavioural Intentions? Tourism Management, Vol. 28, no. 4, pp. 111-1122. Hall CM and Mitchell R, 2006. Gastronomy, Food and Wine Tourism. In D Buhalis and C Costa (Eds.) Tourism Business Frontiers: Consumers, Products and industry, pp. 137-148, London: Butterworth Heinemann. Harrington RJ and Ottenbacher MC, 2010. Culinary Tourism: A Case Study of the Gastronomic Capital, Journal of culinary Science and technology, Vol. 8, pp. 14-32. Kim YG, Eves A and Scarles C, 2009. Building a Model of Local Food Consumption on Trips and Holidays: A Grounded Theory Approach. International Journal of Hospitality Management, Vol. 28, pp. 423-431. Long LM, 2004. Culinary Tourism. Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky. Ritchie JRB, Tung VWS and Ritchie RJB, 2011. Tourism Experience Management Research: Emergence, Evolution and Future Directions. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. Vol. 23, pp. 419-438. Scarpato R, 2002. Sustainable Gastronomy as a Tourist Product. In AM Hjalager and G Richards (Eds.) Tourism and Gastronomy, pp. 132-152, London: Routledge. Slow food Melbourne 2014, Slow Food Farmers’ Market, accessed on August 2, 2014 from . Yarra Valley 2014, Yarra Valley Wineries, Yarra Valley Limo Wine Tours. Accessed from August 3, 2014 from . Appendix: More Photos Fig 3: At the Farm Wineries/ Vineyards (Source: Author 2014) Fig 4: Inside Slow Food Farmer’s Market (Source: Author 2014) Read More

Food tourism as a branch of tourism has progressively and stealthily taken its course affecting the world travel industry. According to Kim, Eves and Scarles (2009), food tourism and its consumption has opened up the perception of tourists that gastronomy is an easy way to familiarise themselves with the traditions of given destinations, as well as a crucial medium for cultural expression. According to Harrington and Ottenbacher (2010) foods form a critical aspect in respect to overall tourist experience in any given destination.

At given times, gastronomic products improve the overall experiences, and on top give a tourist another reason for revisiting the same place. As a matter of facts, there exists an inseparable relationship between culinary industry and tourism industry due to the nature of the two aspects of culinary knowledge and cultural experience (Long 2004). Conceptually, it is worth noting that gastronomy is an important element of tourism due to the fact that tourists give much importance to food while traveling and a considerable amount of their expenditure goes to food and beverages.

Fine Wine Retail Cellar in Yering Station and Domain Chandon Yerring Station and Domaine Chandon are two of the regional best known wineries in Australia found in Yarra Valley (Yarra Valley 2014). Visiting this area gave me the chance to experience the origin of Chardonnay and Pinot noir and got the chance to taste the wines from their origin. Its tradition of high quality wines and proximity to the urban centre within East of Melbourne Australia makes it a crucial site for tourist attraction.

Fig 1: Photos showing Chandon and Yerring Station (Source: Author 2014) Wine processing depicts a perfect gastronomic product in Australia that has greatly impacted the tourism industry with millions of visitors coming to Yarra valley due to the already built destination image abroad (Yarra Valley 2014). Figure 1 shows fermentation of wine and the second photo shows the sampling bar where we had the chance to taste the red wine freshly prepared in the place. Farmers’ Market (August 23, 2014 Slow Food Farmers Market) Slow Food Farmers’ Market occurs in Melbourne and was established in 2006 in partnership with Melbourne Farmers’ Markets showcasing good, clean and fair food (Slow Food Melbourne 2014).

The event happens every fourth Saturday of each month and entails celebrating hard work done by sixty local growers and food producers based on their quality. The quality is based upon the produce, integrity of production methods, as well as true value for money that runs back to the Victorian economy (Slow Food Melbourne 2014). Fig 2: Photos showing Slow Food Farmers’ Market Melbourne entrance and inside (Source: Author 2014) The event is an example of showcased gastronomic products in Melbourne that attracts tourists to see and experience the best slow foods in the region.

Figure 2 shows a photo of the entrance to the Farmers’ Market, while the second photo shows inside the market. Figure 4 in the appendices shows a food producer displaying well packaged dry foods with visitors having a sample to taste and buying the packaged products. These photos are a clear indication of gastronomic products that attract visitors inviting more revenue from sales and travel expenditure. Critical Discussion on Promoting Gastronomy as a tool of Tourism Currently, tourists have become more aware of various cultures, life and attributes from various global regions and aspire to have first-hand experience.

According to Harrington and Ottenbacher (2010), cuisines available in various destinations have become key points of consideration whenever a tourist makes future plans. Observations have been made out that a key objective of tourists visiting a given area mainly involves indulging in local cuisines. Majorly, the level of quality of a given cuisine offered stands out as a crucial part of the holiday experience as a whole (Kim, Eves and Scarles 2009).

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