Barriers to the Development of Tourism Product Based on Authentic Gastronomy in Rural Areas

Abstract

Food tourism in rural areas can be considered a sustainable source of benefits for the local community, but only if it is developed in line with the potentials, interests and capacities of respective host community. Authentic gastronomy of rural areas is considered highly desirable by tour­ism demand, but there are some barriers to its development that need to be taken into account. This paper is conceptually examining the main chal­lenges of establishing efficient local food networks in rural areas, for the purpose of the development of authentic gastronomy tourism offer. Barri­ers, identified from the analysis of scientific literature, are elaborated and discussed within the framework of rural areas. Findings, apart from gener­al challenges of tourism development in rural areas, specially emphasise the importance of careful alignment of interests and expectations of all direct and indirect stakeholders in the process of development of authentic gas­tronomy in rural areas.