Trends and Societal Changes
In order to identify the trends and societal changes that have led to the development of gastronomic tourism, it is necessary to divide the discussion into three separate areas. The first area will identify and discuss the cultural trends associated with gastronomic tourism. The second area of the discussion will highlight the societal changes related to gastronomic tourism, and finally the third part will briefly discuss political changes and their influence on gastronomic tourism.
Cultural trends have an
important role to play in the shaping of tourism, as well as its’ stability and
growth, and can be discussed using the five out of nine cultural trends that
have been identified by Barzun (cited in Leiper 2004). These cultural trends include: 1) emancipation,
2) secularism, 3) individualism, 4) self-conscious and finally, 5) primitivism. However, for the purpose of this study the
focus shall be on the second trend, secularism, which emphasises changes in
lifestyle and consumer behaviour which have led to gastronomic tourism. The most important change is the rise of
interest in food and wine and their origins, followed closely by a rise in
awareness of multiculturalism. However, the following changes are also
significant factors and these include; the demand for a more personalised type
of tourism, a move away from mass tourism, the desire and needs to find a
unique travel experience, and finally, a lesser interest in passive
entertainment and an increase of actively being involved (Derrett 2001) (Poon
2003).
In relation to societal changes and gastronomic tourism some of the more prominent changes include higher incomes, especially for women who can earn ‘equitable incomes through employment’ (Wilson & Little 2005, p.3), an increase in educational standards, more flexible work hours, a rise of ‘frequent short breaks’ (Derrett 2001, p.11), and finally, a shift in old-style ideologies for families. These societal changes have contributed to an increased demand of gastronomic tourism by the existence of a rise in disposable incomes, free-time and an opportunity for women to travel more frequently and further afield from their home base (Leiper 2004) (Wilson & Little 2005).
And finally, worldwide political changes have contributed to gastronomic tourism in two ways, by firstly making more destinations accessible to tourists due to less political unrest, and secondly, by the interaction of governments in promoting the growth and development of gastronomic tourism (Novelli 2005).
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