The importance of quality agro-food products for the promotion of tourism in Spain and Portugal

Abstract

The protection of geographical indications and respective use of PDO, PGI or TSG quality labels for quality regional agri-food products is a factor that induce development in the European regions that strengthen the endogenous potential of their territories. As such, the present work tries to understand the existing relationship between these products and the tourist demand in their origin territories through the analysis of the behaviour of its consumers. The methodology used to achieve this objective consisted in a survey of consumers of agri-food products in Spain and Portugal both online and in person, as well as an extensive review of secondary sources. The results show that consumers, in general, are aware of quality labels or seals and their meaning. It also confirmed the existence of an effective symbiosis between these products and tourism in their native territories, driven by their strong ability to mobilize their consumers.