BACK TO BASICS: EXPERIENCING A DESTINATION THROUGH GASTRONOMY - THE CASE OF MADEIRA ISLAND

Garcês, Soraia; Pocinho, Margarida; Jesus, Saúl Neves de

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.13/5229

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Authors

Garcês, Soraia

Pocinho, Margarida

Jesus, Saúl Neves de

Abstract(s)

Abstract Purpose – This study aims to explore gastronomy tourists' wellbeing in Madeira Island, Portugal, particularly those who acknowledged this activity as the experience they most enjoyed. Methodology – Data was retrieved in 2019, and it is part of the "Wellbeing Tourists Project" developed in Madeira Island. From a preliminary sample of 475 tourists, 52 considered gastronomy their most enjoyed experience, composing this subset of participants the sample for the current study. Data collection occurred in-person (before the pandemic) and online. Tourists filled the Tourism Wellbeing Scale, which evaluates tourism experiences through positive Psychology variables [wellbeing (positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment), creativity, optimism, and spirituality]. Findings – Tourists from England/UK, Czech Republic and Portugal (mainland) considered gastronomy their top choice. Findings showed that a gastronomy tourist in Madeira is someone who first looks to have fun, acknowledges the experience as unique/original, and enjoys engaging with the local community. Logistic regression showed that the estimated odds ratio favoured an increase of nearly 53% for the Gastronomy experience every one unit increase of the Meaning variable. Contribution – Madeira has a unique cuisine with unique flavours, which can be an essential attraction factor for this destination, but it is considered a complementary product. This study highlights that gastronomy should be considered a potential to promote the Island tourism and that it can also be an essential factor to promote wellbeing and Madeira food heritage.

Keywords

Gastronomy Madeira Island (Portugal) Wellbeing Memorable experiences . Faculdade de Artes e Humanidades

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.13/5229

Citation

Garcês, S., Pocinho, M., & Jesus, S. N. (2021). BACK TO BASICS: EXPERIENCING A DESTINATION THROUGH GASTRONOMY-THE CASE OF MADEIRA ISLAND. Tourism in Southern and Eastern Europe..., 6, 303-314.