Economic Review, Vol. 76 No. 5, 2025.
Preliminary communication
https://doi.org/10.32910/ep.76.5.2
Enhancing the Tourist Attractiveness of Rural Areas through Authentic and Participatory Gastronomy Tourism Experiences
Dejan Tubić
Ivan Kelić
Rikard Bakan
Abstract
Gastronomy, as a rich resource in Slavonia, can be used to design personalised and co-creative gastronomy experiences that can attract tourists and enhance the tourist attractivity of this region. Therefore, the purpose and aim of this study were to examine the attitudes of potential tourists regarding the importance of various elements of the offer that influence the likelihood of visiting, as well as to examine whether and how gastronomy and its associated heritage, along with the possibility of personalized approach to the design of tourist experience, impact the increased purpose to visit the mentioned area. The theoretical part of this study relies on relevant research on the topic of rural and gastro tourism in the context of post-pandemic tourist preferences, as well as on the concepts of inclusive and co-creative design of the tourist experience. For the purposes of the empirical part of the research, a survey questionnaire was designed and distributed via social networks and other digital channels. The research was conducted on a random sample of 385 respondents from 19 Croatian counties. The data were analysed using various methods of descriptive and inferential statistics, with the statistical software SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) used as the analysis tool. Kendal Tau-b correlation and ordinal regression analysis were used to determine the importance of individual elements in choosing tourist destinations. Research results indicate that the majority of the respondents perceive Slavonia as a region with authentic and recognizable gastronomy offer, and that experientially rich tourist products based on co-creation of experiences are significant predictors of an increased intention to visit the mentioned region from a tourism perspective. These insights can serve as arguments for stakeholders in tourism development policies that gastronomy and its associated heritage can be an effective means of enhancing the attractiveness of the tourism offer. Limitations of this study primarily lie in the representativeness of the sample due to the fact that more than a half of the respondents are from counties that are geographically part of the studied region, as well as in the respondents’ insufficient understanding of the concept of co-creation. According to the authors’ knowledge, similar studies have not been conducted in the mentioned region nor at the national level in Croatia. Therefore, this study will contribute to new scientific insights on co-creative gastro-tourism products as a means for enhancing the attractiveness of tourist destinations.
Keywords
rural tourism; gastronomy tourism; tourist perception; co-creation.
Hrčak ID:
337443
URI
Publication date:
4.11.2025.
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