nomic experiences during their vacation, mainly
focusing on getting acquainted with the culinary
peculiarities of each country. This is, in other
words, a type of vacation that is dominated by the
culture of the local cuisine.
The importance of this special type of tourism is
highlighted by the fact that, according to the
World Tourism Organization, 44% of travellers
worldwide believe that food is one of the primary
criteria for selecting the place of their vacation.
Increased interest in culinary experiences is
based, on one hand, on the move towards a
healthy diet and, on the other hand, on the media
promotion of the importance of cooking, of the joy
of preparing a meal.
Although the Mediterranean diet is both a fashion,
and a model of healthy diet, Greeks failed to
advertise their country as the birthplace of this
mode of eating, a fact they also failed to utilize for
upgrading their tourist product.
Nonetheless, Greek tourism sector businessmen
start to realize that gastronomy can be a dynam-
ic ambassador of Greek culture abroad, substan-
tially benefiting the national economy, given that
that Greece has a large variety of raw materials
thanks to an organic farming whose potential
remains unexploited and an inexhaustible wealth
of traditional cooking recipes.
Crete has already become an attractive gastro-
nomic destination, internationally renowned for
the quality and authenticity of its local produce
and its overall culinary culture.
The overall plan for promoting Crete as a gastro-
nomic destination is realized through special pro-
grams that include:
•
the organization of Cretan cuisine seminars, as
well as food and wine tasting events;
•
organized tours aimed at getting visitors
acquainted with traditional products and their
preparation;
•
cooking shows, specialized publications and the
establishment of quality standards.
Apart from Crete, concerted efforts are made in
the rest of the country, in order to drive home the
need for creating new catering standards, cover-
ing the entire Greek tourism chain.
These efforts, which are aimed at upgrading
Greece’s culinary offering, cover a wide range of
professionals, from hoteliers, restaurateurs and
producers to food and wine merchants.
Finally, gastronomy as a tourist product does not
require any extra investment in fixed equipment
and facilities, but only specific low-cost marketing
activities, which can soon cover the quality and
appellation of origin deficit currently witnessed in
hotel and restaurant kitchens all over Greece.
Greek hoteliers and restaurateurs are jointly mov-
ing towards realizing this aim, confident that gas-
Trade with Greece
145
Special forms of
tourism are those
that are not addressed
to the mass market,
albeit to specific types
of tourist.
”
“
