The GastroAgrotourism - part 1

The GastroAgrotourism

White Page

In this series of publications, we focus on a new sector of tourism, Gastroagrotourism

By Maria Athanasopoulou , founder of the tourism marketing company Respond On Demand

Summary

This study deals with the definition of a new field of tourism. It is a field that contains elements of both gastronomy tourism and agrotourism. The definition of this new field is driven by the increasing need for further specialization in tourism, and the globally change in the average tourist, in the post Covid era, as more and more people seek experiences of so-called alternative tourism.

The study of these new gastronomy experiences that are emerging day by day will safely lead us to reposition (in terms of popularity) the tourism experiences as we have known them until now.

For example, the classic Sun and Sea holidays in countries such as Greece, seem to be in desperate need of a renewal, with the enrichment of new experiences that can attract the average tourist and color their holidays differently and attractively.

In all the above climate, forms of tourism such as olive oil tourism or wine tourism, show a clear upward trend, leading to their growth in the coming years. Let's not forget that the same has happened with gastronomy tourism in general, whose growth has been steady over the last decade and around the world.

Sectors of tourism such as olive oil tourism seem to 'belong' to many forms of tourism that we know today (alternative, gastronomy, agrotourism, etc.).

The lack of a clear definition of the various forms of tourism often leads to ambiguity, prevents us from recognizing their true limits and is an obstacle to their development.

Regarding to these various forms of tourism, it would therefore be advisable to take a closer look at the way in which they have developed to date, to recognize that they are already promising and to see how they can be categorized, to which form of tourism they belong and how they can be developed further in the future.

We believe that a new form of tourism, GastroAgrotourism, involves many tourism activities, such as olive oil tourism, wine tourism, etc.

A clear definition of GastroAgrotourism helps to group together the potential tourist experiences on offer, to discover the needs of the gastroagro-tourist and to create the appropriate promotion and sales methods for this tourism sector.

The author

?Maria Athanasopoulou has studied law, has founded the tourism marketing company Respond On Demand Ltd, she is a culinary travel expert & sustainable tourism expert, she serves as chairwoman of the World Food Travel Association and as ambassador of the international organization Green Destinations in Greece.? She has given many lectures in Greece and abroad on tourism issues and she has conducted many seminars on tourism issues.

?Purpose

The purpose of the present white paper is to make those involved in this type of tourism aware of it:

• The concept and dimensions of GastroAgrotourism
• The way in which this new sector should be approached in terms of promotion, marketing, and sales

Copyright ? Respond On Demand & Maria Athanasopoulou. All Rights Reserved.