Gastronomic experience as a factor of motivation in the tourist movements

Abstract

Gastronomy has become one of the fundamental elements in the choice of a tourist destination (15% of tourists have, among their main motivations in choosing their tourist destination, the place's gastronomy). This has meant the birth of a new tourist modality, the so-called “Gastronomic Tourism”. However, research on gastronomic tourism has been scant. The principal aim of this work is a tourist destination's level of satisfaction, considering gastronomy as an element of tourist motivation. To do so, a survey has been carried out with 325 tourists after their visiting the city of Seville (one of the main tourist destinations in Spain). This has enabled us to know the motivations which stem from a specific behaviour and attitude towards this tourist destination. The results show that the gastronomic motivation influences the choice of the tourist destination and the gastronomic experience affects satisfaction. Furthermore, these tourists show a high level of satisfaction with the gastronomic offer of this destination, leading even to loyalty.