Gastronomy as a Tourist Product - Essay Example

Gastronomy as a Tourist Product Name Course Lecture Date Statement of authorship I, ---------------------------, hereby certify that the work this work is entirely my own and in areas where there has been use of materials and concepts for other sources I have properly acknowledged in the text. Signed ……………………… Date …………………………… Contents Statement of authorship 2 Contents 3 Introduction 4 The means by which gastronomy can be understood as a tourism product 4 How these have contributed to your understanding of gastronomy 7 Conclusion 9 References 10 Introduction The most significant and noteworthy change that has been undergone by the contemporary tourism industry is that the new role that they have in the society. It was predicted that a revolutionary expansion in certain industries whose outputs were mainly the pre-programmed experiences of the visitors (Smith & Xiao 2008). Currently gastronomy as a tourism product seems to be a clear and concise expression of our post industrial society which applies aspects relates to the senses- such as smell, sight and taste- and they are eventually as a result of the activities that have been generated by restaurants, food producers and the processors which always aim at offering the visitors with an experience through the sampling of drinks and food (Boniface 2003). It is also argued that gastronomy goes hand in hand with the uniformity of the urban areas, the replication of far-away geographies as well as the creation of a spatial scenario since gastronomy tourism is more related to what is traditional, local and authentic in the drinks and food. This report sets out to discuss the means by which gastronomy can be understood as a tourism product and this will be done by visiting two sites that is the cooking schools and farmers market. There will also be a discussion of how the two areas have contributed to my personal understanding of the concept of gastronomy. Lastly there will be a conclusion that will offer a summation statement of the report. The means by which gastronomy can be understood as a tourism product Gastronomy seems to be evident in every aspect of the current society. Nevertheless, it was in the late 1950s that gastronomy adopted the boarder nature and this came along with its closeness to various different social groups. Over time gastronomy has adopted various guises and now available in various different settings all over the world. Thus it is clearly evident that the concept has evolved and it is now inextricably associated with culture, since as argued by Scarpato 2002 in her analysis of the evolution and development of the term gastronomy, gastronomy cannot be separated from the various cultural practices in our societies and also when discussing issues that are related to food culture. Thus according to Kivela 2006, gastronomy is frequently termed as the art of good eating and cooking. Other authors refer to gastronomy as the study of the relationship that exists between food and culture. Thus in relation to this an individual who works in gastronomy is more likely to be involved in experimenting, preparing, tasting, discovering, researching, writing and understanding more about food and characteristically, but not completely about wine. Gastronomy seems to be an emerging sector in the tourism industry. For a large number of visitors the main reason behind visiting new sites is for the, to be able to sample drinks and food in the new destinations (Kivela 2006). Thus, the gastronomy of a country is a clear manifestation of the country’s culture that is the country’s local food markets are termed as being essential elements of the tourist and cultural experience of the region. The correlation between tourism and the local food production is over time being recognized in the tourism arena and they have been able to involve various parties in the system. In general context, tourism is termed as the act of visiting and travelling new destinations that are away from ones usual place of residence. By definition a tourism product comprises the tourist experience that in a way meets its expectations, together with the experience to cultural and natural attractions, housing, catering, transportation, and entertainment. A tourist looks for travelling experience that in a way fulfils their motivations such as escape from routine, thrill seeking, health concern and sensory seeking (Kivela 2006). Gastronomy as it has been argued by a number of authors can be viewed as being a tourism product (Hjalager and Richards 2000). The conversion of gastronomy into being a tourism product is mainly as a result of the transformation as well as the revalorization of the resource, which goes hand in hand with the definition that has been offered by Richards 2002, where he stipulates that a tourism product usually comprises of a number of essentials that are composite the tourist offer of a destination. The notion of tourism product is consequential from marketing and it also matches with the goods and services that are used for the consumption by tourists by the various selected groups of consumers. This also includes the intangible and tangible products that is; the goods and services, in addition to the interaction of the consumer and the service provider (Hjalager and Richards 2000). Thus gastronomy as a tourism product mainly includes the mix of the various services, products as well as activities that depict the unique characteristics of recipes and products in a particular region, the creativity and talent of the chefs who prepare them, the tradition and uniqueness of the place from the others places, which are all intertwined to offer the tourist with a memorable and complete gastronomic traveling experience. The products of gastronomy tourism are later delivered to the consumers who in this case are the tourists through various diversified distribution channels for instance festival, markets and restaurants (Smith & Xiao 2008). The distribution channels make the tourism products easier to access since they are brought closer to the consumers since consumers are able to user and purchase the products in the festivals, restaurants and also in markets that are accessible to them. According to Hjalagier 2002, this in a way matches with her four order typology of the activities that add some value and worth to tourism the first order activities tend to focus a lot on the sites where the visitors can be bale to go and enjoy foods and this includes sites such as the campaigns and festivals among others. The second order activities mainly comprise of activities that aim at promoting the understanding of the food this can be better achieved by the creations well as the promotion of product standardization and quality labels in a particular region (Richards 2002). The third order activities mainly refer to the experimentation and this is usually through the cooking school and also through the various packages while the firth order mainly involves the art of exchanging knowledge that is related to nutrition and it is mainly through the undertaking of various research projects that are related to gastronomy as a tourism product. Cooper and Hall 2008, clearly depicts the idea of a product as an experience from the tourist side in which the providers of the product and the destination counters to challenges related to the creation of product based on previous experiences. The experiences seem to be memorable, personal and they in a way evoke some emotional response, in that the tourist usually enters into a multifaceted affiliation with the destination and the actors who provides the experience. How these have contributed to your understanding of gastronomy The visits to the sites have contributed a lot to my understanding of gastronomy. I was able to acknowledge the fact that gastronomy seems to be an emerging trend in the tourism industry. Also e has helped me a lot in knowing the diversified meaning of the term gastronomy. This has further helped me in my understanding of gastronomy in that I was able to know that the main aim of gastronomy is usually to ensure the preservation of man through the best means of nourishment, also gastronomy acts as an object that offers guidance in relation to certain principles to all those who are involved in seeking, providing and preparing substances which can be grouped as food (Boniface 2003). Also through gastronomy there have been a number of perceived benefits in terms of economic development of areas and countries and also the creation of employment opportunities for a great number of people all over the world. I have also been appreciating the fact that cooking schools are essential components in gastronomy. The cooking schools usually offer education that is more linked to the science and art of preparing food in the most professional way possible. And thus usually augments the experience of the visitors, making them wish to have another visit to have a memorable experience as earlier (Sims 2010). There also seems to be a close link between the cooking schools and the gastronomy in that, students and visitors may opt to take up practical’s in cooking schools so as to test out what they have seen in the gastronomy sites this will further advance their understanding experience in gastronomy. The farmers market has also enlightened me on gastronomy in that I have been able to know that gastronomy sites needs to be permanent installations and they should work all round the year. Through these visitors will not be inconvenienced in case they want to visit and thus they will offer the reliability (Everett & Aitchison 2008). Also through gastronomy there is the availability of various kinds of tourist products that are related to food and drinks and there are also a variety of local ethnic foods. I was also able to acknowledge the fact that in each area there is usually some uniqueness in what is offered since people tend to offer what is locally available and they usually prepare them with locally available means. This usually makes every area unique from each other (Sims 2010). I was also able to concede the fact that the tourism industry seems to be evolving at a very high rate and new tourism products as being developed from time to time. Thus eateries owners need to keep up with the change so as to retain and attract new customers otherwise they will lose them to the newly established eateries which seem to be more concerned with the memorable experiences and uniqueness in what they offer (Everett & Aitchison 2008). Also through the sites I was able to appreciate the fact that gastronomy and tourism seems to have unequivocal relationship and that gastronomy seems to be an essential factor when it comes to the local development since they is usually the marketing of local agro food products and also there exits links on the chains that make up gastronomy (Cooper & Hall 2008). Thus through the marketing of the products the locals are provided with an opportunity to promote culture, traditions, identity and heritage of their own region to the wider audience who are mostly from all over the globe. Conclusion In conclusion gastronomy tourism can be traced back to the multi-functionality that is usually enjoyed by the various rural areas and it can also be explained through the existence and emergence of new needs which are usually created by the social demands which are supported by the recurring passion for nature. Gastronomy therefore is a growing concept and it shows some level of commitment to the marketing and promotion of handmade, local ecological products which are protected by geographical status. It is also evident that gastronomy can be understood as being an essential tourist product. Gastronomic tourists seem to be more interested in a participatory style in most of their holiday experience, which meets their interest in beverages and foods and also contributed to their social status and personal development. Thus tourist destinations and owners and eateries need to acknowledge the fact that food and beverages are essential reasons why people like to travel, and thus they need to combine local cultures and food in their tourism experience and they ought to be reflecting the unique flavours and local flavours that are authentic of their particular region. Although various dishes can be prepared in almost all regions eateries need to make their a memorable experience and to achieve this they can use their traditional means of preparing and cooking and this will preserve the unique manner of marinating the original identities of their dishes for them to be better from the ones that are found in other regions and thus making gastronomy a tourist product that is highly sought by both the local and world tourists. References Boniface, P 2003, Tasting tourism: Travelling for food and drink, Ashgate, Burlington. Cooper, C., & Hall, C 2008, Contemporary tourism: An international approach, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford. Everett, S., & Aitchison, C 2008, ‘The role of food tourism in sustaining regional identity: A case study of Cornwall, south west England’, Journal of sustainable Tourism vol. 16, no. 2. Hjalager, A. & Richards, G 2002, Tourism and gastronomy. Routledge, London. Kivela, J 2006, ‘Tourism and gastronomy: Gastronomy’s influence on how tourists experience a destination’, Journal of Hospitality & Tourism research, Vol. 30, no .3, pp. 354-377 Richards, G 2002, ‘Gastronomy: An essential ingredient in tourism production and consumption”. En: Hjalager, A., & Richards, G. (Eds.), Tourism and gastronomy. Routledge London. Sims, R 2010, ‘Putting place on the menu: The negotiation of locality in UK food tourism, from production to consumption’, Journal of rural Studies, vol. 26, no. 2. Smith, S., & Xiao, H 2008, ‘Culinary tourism supply chains: A preliminary examination’, Journal of Travel Research, Vol. 46, no. 3, pp. 289-299. Read More