Objectives of the thesis

1The objective of this thesis has been to investigate the relationship between gastronomy tourism and cultural heritage, using Taiwan and Catalonia as case studies. This was done through an analysis of the satisfaction, subjective well-being and quality of life of tourists who have participated in gastronomic tourism activities in these regions. To achieve this objective, the following sub-aims were set: 1. Identifying the current knowledge of gastronomic heritage studies within the UNESCO concept of intangible cultural heritage and analysing the linkages with tourist destinations and how they are managed. 2. Analysing qualitatively and quantitatively the tourist satisfaction with gastronomic experiences, such as local market visits, winery tours and cooking classes, as well as with high-end dining experiences, including special dietary needs. 3. Verifying the similarities and differences in gastronomic tourism in two particular regions (Taiwan and Catalonia) on two continents (Asia and Europe).

The conceptual framework

2Four theoretical frameworks were developed and adapted to elucidate the relationship among satisfaction, subjective well-being and quality-of-life enhancement of tourists who had gastronomic experiences. These were then applied to conduct case studies through the two regional destinations. In fact, the theoretical model used as a basis has been Marine-Roig's (2019, 2021) destination image circle, which has been combined with three other models, as explained below (figure 1). Firstly, in terms of gastronomy tourism, the research framework focuses on the conceptual model of gastronomic image, developed by the destination image circle and Morris's (1938, 1946) semiotic aspects of the image, to explore tourists' satisfaction and loyalty in gastronomy tourism. Secondly, an in-depth study of tourists' well-being in high-end gastronomic experiences was conducted using Marine-Roig's (2019, 2021) destination image formation in conjunction with Gronroos' (1984) model of quality service (figure 2). Finally, for the study of cooking classes, Marine-Roig's (2019, 2021) destination image circle combined with Stebbins' (2015) serious leisure was used to understand the connections between personal rewards, social rewards and quality of life for customers after a cooking class experience.

3In Marine-Roig's (2019, 2021) destination image circle, the supply side (e.g. destination marketing or management organisations, and tour operators) designs products for gastronomic experiences based on their purposes and transmits them to the demand side (i.e. users and consumers) in different ways, including via travel agencies and social media. The experiences can thus reach consumers at three stages: before, during and after their journey. The customers receive the image projected from the demand side, have expectations for the tourist products, and perceive a subjective image after the experience. By giving feedback to the supply side and sharing their experiences on social media, customers express different levels of satisfaction with the product and loyalty towards the brand, thus closing the circle.

4Regarding the quantitative analysis conducted in the thesis, the frequency of key terms was analysed and categorised according to three semiotic aspects as follows (Figure 3): (1) The designative aspect provides information about a destination and can be divided into spatial and temporal elements. (2) The appraisive aspect represents feelings towards the destination. Tourists’ emotional expressions about the tourism destination image (TDI) are expressed internally as well as in words as in online travel reviews (OTRs) and in symbols such as star ratings posted on travel review platforms. (3) The prescriptive aspect identifies the intention to experience or return to the destination. When people have an emotional response to a destination, they behave accordingly, including whether or not to become a repeat customer, spreading positive or negative word of mouth, leaving positive or negative comments, or recommending or not recommending the destination on travel review platforms.

The methodology

5This thesis investigates tourists' gastronomic experiences through a comprehensive review of the scholarly literature, an analysis of traveller-generated content (TGC) shared on social media and a focused comparative study between both regions. The first method consisted of a bibliometric approach and the frequency of key terms used to qualitatively and quantitatively analyse the scientific literature related to gastronomic heritage in the 21st century and to elucidate the relationship between gastronomy tourism and cultural heritage. For this purpose, a systematic review and bibliometric analysis were conducted which addresses the gastronomic heritage of tourist destinations, and the PRISMA guidelines were followed.

6The method for the TGC data analysis of OTRs consisted of the following steps: data source selection, data download, data cleaning and arrangement and content analysis. The selected data source was TripAdvisor, the most commonly used travel review platform and the most popular source of research data for academia. TGC has been proven to be a rich and available data source in various research fields. The selected data was downloaded, cleaned, and arranged with a comprehensible structure. Then, a variety of support software was used to analyse not only tourist destination image content but also OTR information, as well as a variety of alternative strategies to collect and analyse online data according to its structure. First, an OTR contains textual and paratextual elements that offer valuable information that can be extracted from downloaded web pages through a search-and-replace utility (e.g. regular expression pattern) using software such as Notepad++. Second, content analysis can be used to extract valuable, insightful information from user-generated content (UGC), helping to integrate unstructured or symbolic information into an accessible format for quantitative and qualitative analysis through a series of data processing steps (GAO, 1989; Roberts, 2001). This thesis used content analysis to analyse customer satisfaction, loyalty and well-being.

The main results

7This study comprised two main parts. First, a bibliometric analysis of the 21st-century gastronomic heritage scientific literature was conducted; then, a quantitative and qualitative content analysis of English-language OTRs of gastronomic experiences on TripAdvisor in both regions was conducted. The results from the first part showed that, although gastronomy makes an important contribution to local economies, it has not received much attention from academics. However, due to UNESCO initiatives and the pervasive influence of media platforms, gastronomic heritage is increasingly recognised in both the tourism sector and academia. This is evidenced by the growing number of academic publications dedicated to the topic. Moreover, the study revealed that scholars predominantly concentrate on the sustainable management of local gastronomic heritage. Finally, the preservation efforts made by residents of the destination have a greater impact compared to those of tourists on maintaining authentic gastronomic heritage.

8Second, the thesis deals with the study of gastronomic experiences such as high-end restaurants, gastronomic tourism and cooking classes. In the research of high-end restaurants, the results show that, in addition to delicious food, a welcoming dining environment and attentive service are key factors in generating positive ratings, whereas poor hygiene, slow service and unattractive dining atmosphere are the main reasons for negative ratings. The study also highlights that offering different services respecting special dietary needs to provide a comprehensive and high-quality gastronomic experience to the customer can further improve the Michelin star rating.

9Tourists in both regions reported high levels of satisfaction with their gastronomic tourism experiences, and different types of gastronomic tourism seem to have different degrees of popularity in the different regions. There were also differences in branding and marketing strategies between the destinations. A very strong contribution of gastronomic experiences to the overall destination image was found.

10The study on cooking classes in relation to serious leisure activities revealed that participants derived social rewards from positive interactions with others, and individual rewards from the activity setting, instructor attributes and other participants. These factors contributed to the high appreciation expressed by customers towards the cooking classes in both regions.

11Finally, this study demonstrated that gastronomic experiences, other than restaurant dining, are of great importance for tourist satisfaction and loyalty and thus can be strategic assets for tourist destinations.