On behalf of the University of Lleida, Dr. Estela Mariné Roig will attend and present a project.

According to various sources (World Food Travel Association, Allied Market Research, IMARC Group, Future Marketing Insights, Technavio, etc.), culinary (i.e. food and beverage) tourism is a highly valued market whose CAGR is constantly increasing. Forecasts predict, with some variations depending on the source, a CAGR of over 15% by 2030. Food festivals and visits to production sites are the main drivers for this growth. Culture and gustatory pleasure are the motivations for consumers. However, the CoViD pandemic has shown a temporary inflection of this growth. This reveals the fragility of the tourism market in the face of external and unpredictable events (beyond the "usual" meteorological hazards). This adds, if need be, to continue to reflect on the economic model of tourism in regions where the economic activity is mainly centered on tourism. But above all, it has been observed that the pandemic has allowed a rest of natural resources, thus offering a new environment for tourists, which also leads to a reflection on the positioning of tourism offers in the context of tourist overexploitation of sites. The CoViD period has thus been the occasion of many innovations based on the digitalization of the offer. However, in the context of culinary tourism, this digitalization quickly reaches its limits, especially on the gustatory dimension.

The 9th ATMC in Bordeaux will therefore be a special occasion to propose special sessions around the reflection on the present and the future of culinary (and especially wine) tourism. In particular, a focus is expected on the tension that arises from the need for innovation caused by the awareness of the overexploitation of resources which seems to contradict the consumers' search for authenticity. Papers that offer theoretical reflections, methodologies, and case studies are welcome. We, therefore, expect research that studies how innovation allows for sustainable culinary tourism that does not alter the value of the offer and that allows for the preservation of the cultural and gustatory dimensions of such tourism.