Purpose: The purpose of this paper is the segmentation of the tourists who visit a gastronomic festival in the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador, in accordance with their perceptions with respect to gastronomy. Design/methodology/approach: To achieve this objective, the methodology used in this research has been the application of a multivariate technique of grouping items and the realisation of a post hoc single variate ANOVA analysis. Findings: The principal conclusions resulting from this research are focussed on the segmentation of the tourists in three different groups and how the travellers’ interest in gastronomy leads to greater satisfaction with the destination. Practical implications: The main practical implications are centred on better understanding of the key factors of how gastronomy can reinforce a tourist destination and produce greater satisfaction for the traveller. Originality/value: Gastronomy is used as a source of inspiration in tourist destinations. This research reinforces this theme, taking on the study of a gastronomic festival in an important business destination, such as the city of Guayaquil, in a geographic area, Latin America, characterised by a recognised gastronomy but still little studied in the scientific literature.

This paper aims to contribute to the scientific literature in the field of hospitality regarding the relationship between gastronomy and tourism through the experience described by tourists who visit a food market, specifically the ´Los Patios de la Marquesá food market in Córdoba (Spain), a registered World Heritage Site. The methodology used in this research was based on a survey sample of tourists that visited the food market. The results show evidence of the different segments of tourists in relation to their attitude towards local gastronomy (known as survivors, enjoyers, and experiencers). In addition, it is concluded that there are significant differences in the culinary motivations of visitors regarding the local gastronomy of a destination.

Gastronomy allows tourists to discover the cultural roots of the destination, thus being one of the motivations for its choice and even becoming a fundamental factor in the analysis of the overall satisfaction of the tourist experience. This research is focused on the analysis of the gastronomic experiences of foreign tourists who visit the city of Oruro (Bolivia). The main results of this research show a segmentation of travellers on the basis of their perceptions regarding the gastronomic experiences in this city into three different groups (survivors, enjoyers, and experiencers). Additionally, the study concludes that these gastronomic experiences are highly related to the motivations that the travellers have to discover a specific destination, and that their level of satisfaction with these experiences is highly connected to the relationship that gastronomy has with the cultural heritage of the local community.

Purpose: Gastronomy is currently becoming a predominant factor for understanding and taking part in the cultural heritage of a destination. The enjoyment of culinary pleasures has become a primary motivating factor when choosing a travel destination. Gastronomy is, therefore, a fundamental part of the satisfaction that the traveller experiences when visiting a location.Design/methodology/approach: Data collection for the research was based on the completion of fieldwork with a sample of tourists who visited the Ecuadorian province of Manabí. Based on this understanding and completed fieldwork, the study analyses the gastronomic experiences of tourists visiting the province of Manabí (Ecuador).Findings: study shows the existence of three types of tourists, based on their higher or lower interest in the local gastronomy when travelling: survivors, enjoyers and experiencers. The results also reveal that there are different levels of satisfaction regarding local gastronomy in terms of interest and the previous cultural motivation of the tourist.Practical implications: The characterisation of the different tourist segments identified and the assessments that these dictate regarding the destination’s gastronomy allow tourist managers to develop and offer tourist products adapted to the wishes and needs of tourists.Originality/value: Research involves the innovation in the use of segmentation models for culinary tourism widely considered in Europe but applied in this case to developing countries in Latin America.

Gastronomy and its relationship with tourism has become a key aspect in the analysis of tourist destinations. One of the aims of this research is to show evidence of the presence of tourists with different attitudes toward local gastronomy. For this purpose, a segmentation of the tourists who visit Popayán, a creative city of gastronomy (UNESCO), is conducted on the basis of the greater or lesser gastronomic interest in the trips. Among the results of this research, the presence of significant differences in the culinary motivations of visitors toward the local gastronomy of the place visited stands out.