Enhancing Hospitality Services Through the Engagement of Visitors in Local Gastronomy Experiences: A Marketing Perspective from the Supply-Side

Abstract

Increasing international tourism competition set new rules in the global tourism market, looking for new innovative and imaginative tourism products, since tourists are no longer satisfied with traditional services only. So instead they seek something that they did not have a chance to experience elsewhere. Public bodies and entrepreneurs involved in tourism focus on distinctiveness of place by using local attributes in the launching of innovative, new products and brands, which can help establish a more Unique Selling Proposition (USP). Local gastronomy has gained recognition as an integral part of the tourism product, and as a mean of destinations differentiation and it plays a crucial role to the construction of the unique character, identity and authenticity of each destination. Recognizing the current marketing trends, the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels (HCH) designed and is implementing an innovative program, which uses local gastronomy culture of each Greek tourism destination, as a vehicle in order to enrich breakfast content in hotels with local agro-dietary products, traditional recipes and viands. The aim of the current research was to investigate the perceptions of hotels managers about the impacts of “Greek Breakfast” on their business and customers from marketing perspective.