Local gastronomy, culture, and tourism in World Heritage Cities: The foreign tourist behaviour

Abstract

Currently, gastronomy constitutes a fundamental component for tourists when discovering the cultural heritage of a destination. This implies that culinary pleasures become decisive motivations in the choice of destination, and, at the same time, manifest as an essential explanatory factor of the satisfaction experienced by tourists. This study seeks to analyse the gastronomic experiences of foreign visitors to World Heritage Cities, such as the city of Córdoba. Based on perceptions of gastronomic experiences in the city, the results enable us to classify tourists into three groups that have been called survivors, enjoyers and experimenters. The findings suggest that the gastronomic experience of the foreign tourist varies depending on the attitude of the visitor towards gastronomy in the trips.