PR No.: PR 17085

In addition to being an increasingly developed and sophisticated segment, gastronomy tourism has become one of the main motivations for travellers to visit a destination. Its connections with local identity and culture, as well as with other intangibles in the sector, such as art, nature or history, make it one of the most consolidated areas of tourism.

The meeting, which was held at UNWTO headquarters, brought together experts in the sector, as well as in Gastronomy, with the objective of highlighting the importance of this segment as well as its dimensions at the global scale. The results presented at the UNWTO by Madison Experience Marketing are based on a survey of UNWTO Affiliate Members, educational institutions, marketing and consulting firms, accommodation providers, as well as food and beverage companies and wineries. The survey sample included participants from 29 countries, whose opinions were collected between June and September 2016.

The objective of this exercise was to understand the perspective of the public and private sectors on gastronomy tourism and its importance to a destination, as well as to inspire potential avenues for developing the segment. The majority of respondents, 87 percent, confirmed the importance of gastronomy tourism in defining the image and brand of their destination.

Among the reasons for visiting a destination, the survey revealed that the top motivators were culture, nature and gastronomy, in that order. After these came shopping and health tourism, according to the survey.

Additional information:

UNWTO Affiliate Members Programme

Second UNWTO Global Report on Gastronomy Tourism

Photos of the event

Contacts:

UNWTO Media Officer Rut Gomez Sobrino

Tel: (+34) 91 567 81 60 / rgomez@unwto.org

UNWTO Communications & Publications Programme

Tel: (+34) 91 567 8100 / Fax: +34 91 567 8218 / comm@UNWTO.org