ABSTRACT
This chapter aims at identifying how food festival events could become an appealing tourist attraction and thus promote the international destination image and enhance place branding. The case study of a recently developed rural food festival in Bulgaria is used to exemplify the challenges before the attraction creation process. The research design includes a literature review, press releases and publications, content analysis as well as personal semi-structured interviews with the organizers, supporters and participants in "Zimnitza fest" food festival. "Zimnitza Fest" is a newly developed food event that has been successfully staged in Zimnitza village for the last four years. Local festivals are often promoted as tourist attractions for they are believed to possess attributes that make them appealing to visitors. They are a peculiar and authentic part of a destination's heritage, local traditions, ethnic backgrounds and cultural landscapes. Food festivals are particularly important for rural destinations enhancing the regional development.
