Edinburgh Napier University

  Food related gastro-tourism refers to the pursuit of appealing, authentic, memorable culinary experiences of all kinds, while traveling internationally, regionally or even locally. For gastro-tourists, food is the focus and the motivation for the travel. In developed countries the gastro-tourism business is booming and has become one of the most dynamic and creative segments of tourism, attracting billions of tourists worldwide. Destination brand strategy is defined as “a plan for defining the most realistic, most competitive, and most compelling strategic reason for the country, region, or city” (Anholt, 2004). Gastro-Tourism can be a driver of destination choice, especially for emerging markets. This paper defines Gastro Destination Branding, and introduces and discusses a conceptual Gastro-Tourism Destination Identity process model to assist various towns, cities, regions and countries to maximize the potential of the growing gastro-tourism market through effective use of destination branding.