Tourism organizations face the challenge of employing fresh strategies in order to meet the new quest for emotional and experiential products. The present work considers the concept of Involvement and Memorability as new drivers for positive outcomes for both the tourism and food industry and proposes a new approach to loyalty. The partial least squares technique has been employed for data analysis. Data have been achieved by a survey addressed to tourists who had a culinary experience – cooking class, food tour, tastings, etc. – during a recent travel. Findings of this research show that involvement and memorable food-based experiences can help the long-lasting loyalty of food tourists towards both local products and the destination. Results show that culinary experiences can involve tourists, provide positive memories and patronize new clients, fostering their intention to keep buying, from their place of residence, the local products tasted during a holiday and to revisit the destination in the future.

Food-based events and festivals are being increasingly organized around the world, both in large cities and in small towns with the aim of attracting the many benefits they provide to the destinations where they are held. While the impact of mega events is sufficiently studied in scientific literature, the works that address the effects of small events are still scarce. To close this gap, this research investigates the significance of small food-based events for tourism and the sustainable development of destinations. An exhaustive study of a renowned festival based on cheese was carried out in the Spanish city of Trujillo. A survey was used to ask non-local attendants and it explored their motivations, the event itself, the assessment of the permanent elements of the destination, and loyalty to the festival. The impact of these small festivals is not only relevant for the tourism sector and the sustainable positioning of the destination, however it is also relevant for the local economy due to the consumption of local gastronomic products. Given their role in attracting visitors, these small festivals as tourist motivators must be integrated into the communication campaigns of those destinations that seek to enhance their sustainability.

The scientific literature on tourism identifies two driving trends: the quest for experientiality and the growing connection between holidays and quality of life. The present research focuses on water-based activities practiced with a healthy purpose, capable of driving positive economic, social and environmental effects on the territory where this type of tourism is developed. Considering the growing demand of experiential tourism, it is important to assess the experiential value of these practices and their impact on the quality of life, satisfaction and loyalty. A sample of 184 customers of thermal spas and similar establishments was used to test the structural model proposed, employing the partial least squares technique. The results show the experiential value of healthy water-based activities and confirm their positive impact on the individuals’ quality of life, satisfaction and loyalty towards both the experience and the destination.

This paper aims to develop an original model in the context of food-based experiences considering new experiential variables, such as to experience quality, memorability and quality of life (QOL), and their impact on marketing outcomes, namely, satisfaction and loyalty, approached from an experience perspective. An empirical approach has been adopted. Data have been collected through an online and a paper-and-pencil method, using an original questionnaire addressed to tourists who had a food-based experience during their recent holidays. Partial least squares-structural equation modelling is the technique used for data analysis. The results confirm that local food, enjoyed through quality experiences, is a determining factor in designing memorable products, achieving tourist satisfaction, improving their QOL and encouraging loyalty to experiential food-based practices. Results should be interpreted within the context of this research because of the use of a sample conveniently selected. Gastronomic experiences represent a successful strategic resource for tourist destinations and professionals who want to adapt their business/destination to the new requirements of the experiential context. To the best of authors’ knowledge, this study is first to relate the impact of memorable and quality culinary experiences on the QOL of tourists, chasing, as a final result, loyal intentions towards a specific kind of experience (culinary) rather than towards the destination. Este trabajo propone un modelo original en el contexto de las experiencias gastronómica que relaciona nuevas variables experienciales – Calidad de la Experiencia (EXPQ), Memorabilidad (MEM) y Calidad de vida (QOL) – con variables de resultado tradicionales del marketing turístico: satisfacción y lealtad, consideradas desde un nuevo enfoque experiencial. Se ha optado por un enfoque empírico. Los datos han sido obtenidos por medio de una encuesta online y en papel, con un cuestionario original dirigido a turistas que han vivido una experiencia gastronómica en sus recientes vacaciones. Los datos han sido tratados con PLS-SEM. Los resultados alcanzados confirman que las experiencias gastronómicas de calidad son un factor determinante para diseñar productos turísticos memorables, lograr la satisfacción de los turistas, mejorar su calidad de vida e incentivar la lealtad hacía prácticas experienciales vinculadas a la gastronomía. Debido al uso de una muestra no-probabilística de conveniencia los resultados de este estudio sufren limitaciones en cuanto a su generalización. Las experiencias gastronómicas representan un recurso estratégico para los destinos turísticos y los profesionales del sector que quieran adaptar su negocio/destino a las nuevas exigencias del entorno experiencial. Este trabajo relaciona por primera vez el impacto de las experiencias gastronómicas memorables y de calidad en la calidad de vida de los turistas, planteando como resultado final la lealtad al tipo de experiencia, más que la intención de volver a visitar el destino.

Water is an important element for the conservation of ecosystems and for human wellbeing. Recently, there has been a loss of awareness about the value of this resource, which requires scientific and practical action to encourage the rise of a new cultural attitude regarding water. Tourism gives water resources great potential, because it facilitates the development of such attractive resources, combining their protection with respectful use. However, studies that have explored the water tourism–territory relationship are still scarce. The objective of this work is to explore the current, touristic use of the aquifer sites in the Spanish region of Extremadura in order to determine whether these practices have the potential to generate new sensitivity about the value of water and its importance in socioeconomic development and environmental conservation. This research uses qualitative and quantitative methodologies, obtaining results that confirm the strategic role of water in the proper management of ecosystems and for the enhancement of human wellbeing. The empirical results show the beginning of a change in water-based tourism from both a supply- and demand-side perspectives. The conclusions suggest potential new measures that will facilitate a better understanding of the value of water, enhance the quality of life for everyone, and safeguard ecosystems.

Purpose – This paper intends to highlight how local tourism development is strongly oriented towards policy development based on the combination typical product-territory, in particular extra virgin olive oil, which assigns value to identity, social capital and indigenous cultural heritage. Design – The work supports the idea that the development strategies of typical products should be considered as a potential local development tool. Besides the enhancing the knowledge of product itself and of its ties with local history and traditions, this could also help promoting a quality tourism in the awareness that local products contribute to the implementation of a multiplicity of local initiatives (such as tourist paths, markets, educational initiatives, community events) able to encourage and support new social relations. Metodology – At a methodological level, the paper developed a theoretical contextualization of the subject of study in the gastronomic tourism and compared, using the technique of benchmarking, the experiences of extra virgin olive oil enhancement and promotion in Italy and Spain. These two countries were selected for this study since they are the main producers in the world of olive oil with certified quality. Approach – The interpretative approach has characterized the development of this study; theoretical elaboration and empirical research in fact are processed in parallel. Finding – The research work has demonstrated that the enhancement of extra virgin olive oil is a great potential for the development of new tourism practices such as gastronomic tourism. Originality of research – The work represents a first effort to compare the development and promotion strategies of extra virgin olive oil in Italy and Spain and to examine the possible links with local tourism development.