Gastronomy Tourism, Cultural Heritage, and Quality of Life: Evidences from Taiwan and Catalonia (TDX)

Supervisors:

Dra. Nayra Llonch-Molina
Dra. Estela Mariné-Roig

Summary:

In the course of human evolution, food has developed from a single-function to a multi-function item. As far as individuals are concerned, after satisfying their need for sustenance, food can also boost personal quality of life (well-being), while for groups, food has additional economic, cultural, and identity-related functions.
In this thesis, designed to elucidate the relationship of gastronomy tourism, cultural heritage and quality of life, four theoretical frameworks are applied in two case regions with similar backgrounds—Taiwan and Catalonia—and tourists’ reviews on TripAdvisor are analysed to assess the satisfaction and subjective well-being of tourists who have reviewed food-focused tourism experiences. The results show that although gastronomy tourism centred on gastronomic heritage positively impacts tourist destinations, gastronomic heritage tourism centred on tourists does not alter the landscape of local gastronomic heritage, because locals remain the primary force in maintaining that landscape.
The results also reveal that in their perceptions related to gastronomy tourism, tourists have expectations concerning destination image and the activities offered there based on induced, autonomous, and organic sources. In that dynamic, the greater the expectations and actual experiences of tourists, the easier it is for destinations to generate satisfaction (e.g. well-being) and loyalty and form a cycle of benign word of mouth. Indeed, even for Michelin-starred restaurants, increasing guests’ satisfaction, maintaining repeat customers, and winning over new ones are all more important than obtaining Michelin stars. Cooking class include education, entertainment, aesthetics and out-of-reality experiences. In addition to stimulating the development of taste and acquiring special knowledge and skills, it can also improve the quality of life by increasing students' physical and mental health and interpersonal communication.