This article presents a review of research trends in gastronomic tourism. The objective is to identify the main lines of research of this type of tourism based on the scientific production published in the last five years in three scientific databases. It is an exploratory, descriptive, and analytical study based on a comprehensive narrative review and content analysis methodology. The results show the evolution in the scientific research of gastronomic tourism and the current state of knowledge within each line of research identified as a basis for future research.

A key aspect of ensuring efficient management of gastronomic tourism is understanding the demand behavior. The studies conducted so far are limited to analyzing this demand in specific destinations, making it impossible to extrapolate their results to obtain a global profile of the gastronomic tourist. This study aims to address this gap by providing a more generalizable characterization and identifying a series of segments of gastronomic tourists. This has been achieved through a survey conducted with 421 gastronomic tourists on an international scale, using descriptive statistics and latent class analysis (LCA). The results obtained have provided insight into the behavior, willingness to pay, expectations, and experiences of those surveyed. From this, three segments of gastronomic tourists with clearly different profiles have been identified. These findings offer a precise understanding of the demand for gastronomic tourism and provide a strategic basis for designing tailored, conscious policies aimed at maximizing the cultural and economic value of the food heritage of different tourist destinations.

The proliferation of articles related to the demand for gastronomic tourism demands new knowledge by reviewing their contributions. This study aims to analyse the progress of research on gastronomic tourism demand. Previous studies have highlighted the characteristics and case studies of this type of demand, but none describes the topic comprehensively. To fill this gap, this research adopts an exploratory, descriptive and analytical approach, based on a comprehensive narrative review and bibliometric analysis. For its development, 68 scientific contributions, published between 2017 and 2023, were analysed over two scientific databases, Scopus and Dimensions. The results consolidate the main research structures of gastronomic tourism demand, build a frame of reference on the evolution of the contents on a scientific level and reaffirm the importance of guiding the planning, tourism image and development of the various practices that make up this typology, which, at the same time, allows guiding future research.

Gastronomic tourism has grown significantly in recent years, acquiring interesting relevance due to its potential for enhancing endogenous resources in the destinations where it develops, which stimulates the local economy and promotes sustainable development. Based on the results of a survey conducted with 421 international gastronomic tourists, this chapter demonstrates that the expectations and level of satisfaction of gastronomic tourists with the experiences they enjoy during their trip influence their willingness to purchase (or recommend) a quality-certified gastronomic product, as well as their average daily expenditure during their stay at the destination. The results obtained are relevant for appraising the role of gastronomic tourism as a sustainable territorial development strategy.

El presente trabajo constituye una de las pocas investigaciones realizadas sobre los museos de la ciudad de Cuenca, pese a ser instituciones que preservan bienes patrimoniales y son atractivos turísticos. Por ello, se ha emprendido un programa de investigación de inicia con el estudio de la percepción de los visitantes locales, nacionales y extranjeros en seis museos de la ciudad de Cuenca. Las percepciones expresadas mediante comentarios escritos espontáneamente por los visitantes ecuatorianos y extranjeros (de 91 nacionalidades) en el libro de visita de los museos, durante el año 2016, constituyen el insumo fundamental de información. Desde una perspectiva cualitativa, recurriendo al análisis de contenidos, se examinan las impresiones consignadas por los visitantes. El estudio muestra que el patrimonio es percibido como herencia, se asocia con memoria y ante todo se valora su conservación en la medida que garantiza la continuidad de la muestra y con ella la posibilidad de guardar su contenido para la posteridad. Se advierte una tendencia romántica que subyace en los comentarios: el museo espacio donde l pasado a través de la muestra perdura de forma inmutable.

The case is designed for students, professionals, and educators interested in tourism management and governance, particularly in contexts where gastronomy is intended to serve as a driver of sustainable territorial development.