preparation, the cooking and the consumption of food. Thus, in the modern era of tourism and leisure, a new specialised form of tourism is emerging: ‘gastronomic tourism’. The role of food in the destination drew the interest of researchers, academia, governments, and private operators relatively recently (Cohen & Avieli, 2004). The lack of interest was due to the perception that food is a supporting resource (Godfrey & Clarke, 2000) or a complementary factor (Quan & Wang, 2004) in tourism activity. However, gradually various studies have shown that over the last years that tourist choices are not only determined by the trivial need to eat but also by the desire to try interesting products in the right environment (Finkelstein, 1989; Pillsbury, 1990; Fürst et al., 1991). This finding has helped to initiate new research on food consumption in host destinations, the supply, the demand and the consumption of locally produced products, the gastronomic experiences in the destination, the role of food in relation to the image of a destination, etc. (Sheldon & Fox, 1988; Mennell et al, 1992; MacClancy, 1992; Fine 1996; Lupton 1996; Beardsworth & Keil, 1996; Warde, 1996; Bell & Valentine, 1997; Nield et al., 2000; Warde & Martens, 2000; Torres, 2002; Hall & Sharples, 2003; Ryu & Jang, 2006; Kim et al, 2009; Kivela & Crotts, 2009; Chang, Kivela & Mak, 2010; 2011). According to studies on modern leisure travelers, food is an important factor in their decision to travel. Indeed, often the desire to sample local foods and drinks is a significant part of the tourist experience (Crompton & McKay, 1997; Hjalager & Richards, 2002; Kivela & Crotts, 2006; Kim et al, 2009; Thompson & Prideaux, 2009; Sims, 2009; Bessiere & Tibere, 2013). Further, interest is triggered by the growing number of destinations that are enhancing their image by promoting their gastronomic identity and differentiating themselves from competing destinations through this identity. Italy, Spain, Australia, New Zealand and Greece are typical examples (Hall & Mitchell, 2002; Scarpato, 2002; Chang et al, 2010; Moira et al, 2012). The huge growth of tourism and the fact that tourists have become more experienced, have more disposable time, modifies the characteristics of travel and their choices both in terms of destination and their choices in the destination itself (Μοίρα, 2022). Travelers search for quality and a deeper knowledge of the culture and lifestyle of the people of the place they visit. Since, as it was mentioned earlier, the lifestyle includes how food is prepared, in what environment, what and how it is eaten, what the rituals of consumption are, combined with the architecture, the place and the environment, an overwhelming demand for local food and a 492 DIMITRIOS MYLONOPOULOS | POLYXENI MOIRA
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