The Impact of Local Food on the Development of Gastronomy Tourism: An Exploratory Study

Objective/Purpose/Rationale of the Study: Local food has received a huge tourism attraction and become an integral part in tourism experience, well recognized and studied by many hospitality and tourism scholars. Local food has now become an important stream of special interest tourism. Gastronomy tourism is one of the emanate concepts in the tourism sector. The experience of the culture that food belongs to also directs tourists to a region that makes food an essential attraction for tourism. Therefore, gastronomic pleasure is a crucial factor in choosing a travel destination. Research Design/Methodology: Providing the scarcity of research on local food & gastronomic tourism, this research is exploratory by nature which focuses on the impact of local food to show how local food can contribute a major role in the development of Gastronomy tourism. Both the primary as well as secondary source of data are taken into consideration in order to extract the required and suitable data out of it. Primary source of data including a structured questionnaire survey among Culinary graduates,Chef, local cooks and Academicians. Secondary source of data focused on extensive literature review. Overview of Findings/trends: The findings of this research showed that gastronomy tourism is influenced by the existence of local culture which includes the availability of food ingredients, religion, beliefs, and the nature of flavors formed by social & local culture. This study showed contribution to the development of gastronomy tourism. Gastronomy tourism can stimulate national, regional and local economic growth and development also by increasing employment opportunities, attracting foreign direct investment, and earning foreign currency