Is gastronomy a relevant factor for sustainable tourism? An empirical analysis of Spain country brand

Abstract

Estudio sobre la gastronomía como un factor de atracción y posicionamiento de la Marca Turística de España.

Tourism has become a fundamental industry for the economic growth of many countries. Due to this, there is growing competitiveness among the different destinations to attract as many tourists as possible. As a result, disciplines such as marketing have developed tools to differentiate some destinations from others and concepts such as place branding and country brand have emerged. One of the key factors forming the country brand is gastronomy, as food tourism is one way to reduce the growing problem of sustainability in tourism, as it impacts different aspects of the country’s environment.