Place Branding for and Through Gastronomy

Abstract

As a representation of a place's culture and identity, gastronomy is often a building stone of a place brand. Therefore, food, culinary experiences, and gastronomy are often used in tourism by DMOs, governments, and industry groups for place branding. This article aims to review studies investigating the relationship between gastronomy, tourism, and place branding, identify patterns in the research, and propose further research avenues. Thematic analysis is applied, and five patterns, or themes, are identified from the review: (1) host versus guest perspective; (2) types of gastronomy—that is, authentic, exclusive, market-driven, single cuisine versus multicultural or cosmopolitan; (3) actors and collaborations—that is, clusters, entrepreneurship, restaurants, labeling, UNESCO designations, roles of different actors, and broad stakeholder support; (4) type of place—that is, nation, city, region, small town, islands; and (5) direction of relationship—that is, whether gastronomy is used for place branding, or whether place brand influences the perception of gastronomy. Finally, further research avenues are proposed for each of the themes.