ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at transforming a destination by celebrating its terroir and talking about the virtuous circle of connecting visitors back to taste of place. Gastronomic tourism epitomizes the idea of interconnected activities that strengthen the very system in which they operate. Virtually any visit to a destination can be enriched by food and drink and destinations can raise tourism receipts when they focus on tying their unique terroir into a tourism experience. According to a journal article published in Current Issues in Tourism, gastronomic tourism involves three main components: agriculture; culture; and tourism. In 2012, the United Nations World Tourism Organization published the Global Report on Food Tourism, underscoring the importance and significant benefits to investing in food tourism. Food tourists are more likely to participate in cultural, historical, agricultural, horticultural and outdoor activities. This suggests that a food tourist may also be a cultural, historical, horticultural, and/or eco-tourist.
